His explosiveness when it comes to interceptions and tackles were his star power when he first arrived. I hope he can continue to do it in future, though hopefully not because we're a man down (again).

[–] merc@sh.itjust.works 1 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I think we expected him to be good defensively when he first arrived, after all, we were buying an Atletico Madrid player who trained under Simeone. I think what was surprising and really useful was how good he was in possession. He would relieve pressure when Arsenal was being pressed by clever passes and good dribbling. That's the part of his game that seems to have disappeared lately. He turns into trouble instead of turning away from it, and his passes are often intercepted in dangerous areas.

[–] sensiblepuffin@lemmy.world 1 points 1 month ago

Maybe he and Martinelli are experiencing similar funks. I've also seen Martinelli pass straight out of touch more times this season than for the entirety of his Arsenal career.