As absurd as it might sound, given the last decade of football, Arsenal will still feel disappointed following their 2-2 draw with Bayern Munich in the Champions League on Tuesday night.
While the Bavarians are European royalty and can, therefore, never be written off, the contrasting form of the two sides heading into the clash made the home side favourites in the eyes of many.
However, Harry Kane did what he always does and scored at the Emirates, while Thomas Tuchel's wingers caused chaos out wide for the Gunners' defenders.
Leroy Sané was particularly terrifying out on the left and put in a performance in stark contrast to Mikel Arteta's own leftwing star – who has now played himself out of the starting lineup.
Gabriel Martinelli's performance against Bayern Munich
The player in question is Brazilian wideman Gabriel Martinelli, who returned to the starting XI against Bayern for the first time since injuring his foot against Sheffield United in the Premier League on March 4th.
It was a change to the team that many fans would have been happy to see and even calling for, as on his day, the 22-year-old can be near enough unplayable. For example, just last season, the "sensational talent", as described by U23 scout Antonio Mango, ended the campaign with 15 goals and six assists in 46 games.
However, last night, he was utterly ineffective. Whether it was due to a lack of game time in recent weeks, a lack of match sharpness, the excellent defending from Bayern or just the occasion itself, for whatever reason, the usually explosive winger was practically nowhere to be seen.
This is an opinion shared by GOAL's Matt O'Connor-Simpson, who gave the former Ituano-gem a 4/10 on the night and wrote that he 'didn't really get into the game, with Kimmich largely getting the better of him.'
While that might sound harsh, it's an observation backed up by the star's statistics. In his 66 minutes of action, he registered an expected goals figure of just 0.10, took no shots on target, took one shot off target, failed in three of his four dribbles, took just 27 touches and lost the ball eight times.
Minutes
66
Expected Goals
0.10
Expected Assists
0.10
Shots on Target
0
Shots off Target
1
Shots Blocked
2
Dribbles Attempted (Successful)
4 (1)
Touches
27
Crosses (Accurate)
1 (1)
Duels (Won)
6 (1)
Lost Possession
8
Fouls
1
Overall, it wasn't a good performance, and with two players right behind him, it looks as if Martinelli has played himself out of the starting lineup, at least for now.
The options to replace Martinelli
Now, there are only two genuine options for this, and both came on in the second half last night: Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Jesus.
While Martinelli struggled to make even the smallest impact on the game last night, both of Arteta's attacking substitutions made a monumental difference. Trossard scored the Gunners' equaliser after some genuinely incredible footwork from Jesus cleared the way for him.
That said, which one should start in the second leg?
Well, in terms of pure output this season, it's close, but with 13 goals and two assists to his name in 38 appearances, the Belgian comes out just ahead, although with eight goals and six assists in nine fewer appearances, the former Manchester City ace is arguably more dangerous.
Moreover, while the ex-Brighton & Hove Albion star has an impressive haul of four goals and one assist in eight Champions League appearances this season, his Brazilian competitor has an even more impressive record of four goals and three assists in seven appearances.
Appearances
38
29
Goals
13
8
Assists
2
6
Goal Involvements per Match
0.39
0.48
Lastly, when it comes to experience in Europe's premier competition, there is no competition between them. The 27-year-old marksman has years of experience to call upon in the toughest of moments, which is something Trossard just doesn't have.
Ultimately, while Martinelli is an incredibly talented winger and looks destined for a tremendous career in north London, his shocking performance last night must see him dropped from the lineup ahead of the second leg and replaced with the vastly experienced Jesus.
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