But he is probably playing because everyone ahead of him in the pecking order have been bricked by now. He is the regular starter because there is no one else to try anymore, nothing threatens his position.
Saka, Öde, ESR are in that 5 games good 5 games shit phase, god knows when that ends (or how )
With a well balanced squad he plays when it’s not that important so he can develop.
Found his rightful position last night. Substitute with impact.
Kids not mature enough yet for the amount of starts he has had.
Pace and workrate are his main attributes . No shame in that and it’s good having a go too sub.
He’s still a very young player, with barely a full season of football in a top league. If he can learn to get into positions more efficiently, and there’s no doubt he has the willingness to get into positions, he can become a huge goal threath, no doubt imo. Also if he improves his finishing obviously, he knows how to strike the ball, just needs to become more consistent and more shrewd in certain situations.
I think he has more talent and quality than Auba had in his early years, even while at St Ettiene when he was older that Gabi now, but he improved his positioning and finishing tremendously in his mid 20s. He’s probably the best example how you can improve in those areas even in a somewhat late stage of your career. Salah is a great example too.
And I’m not saying every player can improve like that, but Martinelli has the base to do it.
I honestly think it’s way more than just goals. His decision making and his final ball are what really holds him back in my eyes. He tends to dribble for too long without any real direction
When he first arrived his movement in the box is what impressed me most so I think his long term future is closer to goal
All them points are on show in the video. Look at the editing on the dribbles and take ons. Theres ability and a great attitude but he has a lot too learn.
We really have a tendency of downplaying our players.
If Martinelli was playing for a different club, we would all be discussing whether 30m makes sense or 45m.
But since he cost us nothing, we act like he is 5m worth player