Gabriel Martinelli’s missed opportunity baffles Martin Keown
Martin Keown, a former Arsenal defender, expressed surprise at Gabriel Martinelli’s decision-making during Arsenal’s Champions League match against Bayern Munich.
The young Brazilian attacker lost a good opportunity in the first half by hitting the ball with his weaker foot despite being in a better position to use his stronger right foot.
Martinelli’s decision to strike with his left foot ended in an easy stop by Bayern goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, depriving Arsenal a potential breakthrough opportunity.
Keown, speaking on TNT Sports at halftime, described Martinelli’s missed opportunity as a critical moment in the match.
He said: “He [Martinelli] has picked up a really good position there, just waiting and you think why would you hit that with your left foot?
“You’re a right-footed player and he’s coming on to that, perfect angle, lovely approach play. Surely you’d hit that with your right foot?”
“I think if he gets that back he hits that with his right,” Owen Hargreaves added.
“He can see it coming and you always want to hit that with your good foot.
“In the end he just wants to make contact and get it on goal, because sometimes you say pass it in the goal, but he needs to hit that with his right foot. If he hits it with his right I think it’s a goal.”
The Gunners failed to find their rhythm in the first half, and Bayern took advantage of their momentum early in the second half, clinching a simple victory.
Arsenal’s tactical changes failed to worry Bayern’s defense, and the club was eliminated from the Champions League in the quarter-finals.
Martinelli’s spent opportunity left fans and analysts alike perplexed by his decision-making on the field, with Keown among many struggling to comprehend the young striker’s judgment in such a key moment.
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