'I don't want' - Arsenal star sends clear message to Mikel Arteta over team selection

Arsenal salvaged a point against one of their potential title rivals in Manchester City on Sunday. The Gunners went into stoppage time one goal behind at home to Pep Guardiola’s men after an early Erling Haaland goal, but super sub Gabriel Martinelli came to the rescue again.

Martinelli came off the bench to score and assist against Athletic Club in the Champions League during the week, securing the win for the Gunners, and his introduction proved key again. The Brazilian made an excellent run to allow Eberechi Eze to pick him out with a superb pass, and the winger took the ball in his stride before looping the ball over Gianluigi Donnarumma expertly.

It could prove to be a massive point, and Martinelli has now had a huge hand in securing four points for Mikel Arteta’s men this week, and all from the bench. Speaking after the game, Martinelli told the BBC he was happy to make an impact, but he also made it clear he does not want to be on the bench,

“I work for those moments,” said the winger. “I leave [selection] for the gaffer, he knows what he does. I just do my best to help this football club. Of course, I don’t want to be on the bench. I want to play 90 minutes every single game but Arteta knows what he does, he’s the gaffer and everyone trusts him. We’re really happy with him. We play for Arsenal, we know how big this club is and we try our best in the games to win football matches. We didn’t want to draw but, in the end, we did.”

Arteta also spoke after the game, and asked about Martinelli, he said: “We had very good momentum and we needed to time that well. He's in a really good moment again after the game he had in Bilbao and that period of time probably he deserved more, but his energy again, his attitude was really good and that's why he made the impact that he made again for the team.

“We want consistency on that, for every player that doesn’t start the game to be able to do that, because you see how long the match is and the level that it requires to beat them, and we're very happy with him.”

Martinelli has slipped from the starting XI after the introduction of greater competition this summer with the signing of Noni Madueke, while Eze has also been playing out wide at times. Asked about the added competition in his squad, Arteta added: “Well, there are a lot of factors, obviously. The first one is their performance level and the emotional state that they are in. That's one. After that, it’s what we believe is the best thing in relation to the opponent and the type of game that we predict. And after that, there is as well chemistry and relationships that make each other better and we need to understand it.”

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