Arsenal’s winning run thwarted by a goalless draw at Crystal Palace. The Gunners face Newcastle in the next match.
The Gunners were held to a frustrating draw as they faced Crystal Palace at the Emirates. Arsenal doesn’t have a particularly good record at home this season. A win could have pushed the club into the top half of the table.
These are crucial games for Arsenal if they want to reach the top 6 again. However, the game was a disappointment for the Gunners fans as the club failed to portray any substantial threat to the Crystal Palace keeper.
In fact, Palace had the best chances in the game and even hit the frame of the goal once. All in all, it was not the level of performance Mikel Arteta is expecting from his players.
Although Arsenal has stepped up their defensive game but they also need to improve on the offensive end. Mikel Arteta has very little room to operate in the transfer market hence any big signings cannot be expected.
Which could mean the club will have to depend on their young players to step up. Arsenal does have attacking options if they are willing to take the risk. Eddie Nketiah and Gabriel Martinelli are showing promise.
Martinelli was out of the team due to injury and Nketiah has not featured for the team since their 2-1 loss to Everton. Maybe it’s time to give them a chance especially after the club’s last training session.
Martinelli and Nketiah impress in Arsenal’s training camp
The Gunners season is not going as they hoped it would, but there is still time to turn things around. Mikel Arteta might have to make a bold decision in terms of who would lead the attack for Arsenal.
As per reports from football London, Nketiah, and Martinelli were exceptional in a shooting drill for Arsenal. Martinelli missed his first attempt but did well with the remaining ones. However, it’s Nketiah who grabbed the headlines.
The striker went on to score 4 times consecutively which took his conversion rate to 100%. Whether this impressive display is enough to recall him to the starting lineup still remains to be seen, but the fans would surely be excited.
Nketiah is one prospect Mikel Arteta holds very dearly. He sees potential in the youngster and has faith in his abilities. When Arteta was asked about whether he would sell Nketiah his reply was, “No”.
This clearly shows the importance of Nketiah for Arsenal. But like all young players, he will be itching to get some time on the pitch, which has been rare for him this season.
Obviously, with the likes of Aubameyang and Lacazette, it’s tough to find regular minutes, but maybe it’s time Arteta gives Nketiah a shot. Especially with both Lacazette and Aubameyang showing inconsistency in their game.
