Manchester City’s Kyle Walker and Liverpool’s Ibrahima Konate as the Premier League defenders he considers the most difficult to beat.
Now in his sixth season with Arsenal, Martinelli has faced off against some of the world’s top-rated and most accomplished defenders.
With Arsenal’s busy schedule intensifying as winter approaches, Martinelli can expect more tough battles ahead, starting with a home game against Nottingham Forest, managed by Nuno Espirito Santo, in ten days.
After a tough stretch where Arsenal has won only two of their last seven games across all competitions, the upcoming international break might come as a relief for Mikel Arteta’s squad.
However, Martinelli remains optimistic about Arsenal’s strengths and is confident in their title aspirations, even with Liverpool leading the league by nine points after 11 matches.
‘We have a really good team, really good players. We’ve been second two seasons in a row and we want to make it this year,’ the Arsenal winger told Men in Blazers.
‘We know our qualities, we know we can do it, it’s just about being calm. The season is long, we’re still at the beginning.
‘We have to go game-by-game. It’s really difficult, we have to try to win all of them to be champions, we trust in ourselves and we go for it.’
On Premier League defenders he finds toughest to get past in one-vs-one situations, Martinelli said: ‘It has to be Walker and Konate from Liverpool. ‘They are both tough to beat.’
On his strategy in such battles, Martinelli said: ‘It’s instinct, I just see how he is, how his body is, and I just try to do what I do and try to beat him.’
Martinelli is grateful for the ‘growth in football’ he has experienced since Arteta took charge of Arsenal in December 2019.
‘He’s been really important in my growth in football,’ the Brazil international explained.
‘I think when he got here I was 19. We’ve been through the process with the team, not just me but he has helped every single player in the squad. For me, he was also really important helping me with my game.
‘When I’m on the left I used to control the ball with my right foot and when he came he said, “No, try to control the ball with your left so you can take the opponent on”, so since that day I’ve tried to do it and nowadays I do it every time so it’s super easy for me.’
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