December 8th 2024.
According to Paul Merson, Mikel Arteta will have some harsh words for Gabriel Martinelli after Arsenal's disappointing 1-1 draw with Fulham on Sunday. The former Arsenal player and current football pundit has labeled Martinelli's actions as "criminal" after the Gunners were denied a late winner due to an offside call in the build-up to the goal.
The match at Craven Cottage started off poorly for Arsenal as they fell behind 1-0, but managed to equalize thanks to a goal from William Saliba. However, their hopes of securing all three points were dashed in the 89th minute when Bukayo Saka's goal was disallowed by VAR because Martinelli was deemed to be slightly offside. Merson expressed his frustration at this turn of events, stating that even though Martinelli has pace and skill, he should not have been caught offside in that situation.
Merson believes that Arteta will have a few choice words for Martinelli in the dressing room, as even the young player himself seemed to realize his mistake after the match. Merson emphasized the importance of not being offside in a crucial moment, stating that it's a simple rule to follow in football.
When asked about the impact of this draw on Arsenal's title race with Liverpool, Merson did not mince his words. He described it as a "not a good result" and "two points dropped". With Liverpool currently ahead of Arsenal by six points, Merson believes that this could have been a huge opportunity for the Gunners to gain some ground on the league leaders. However, he also acknowledged that playing at Craven Cottage is no easy task and that Arsenal will need to perform better if they want to win the Premier League title.
Looking ahead, Arsenal have a Champions League match against Monaco on Wednesday and then a Premier League game against Everton on Saturday. Merson believes that these upcoming games will be crucial for the Gunners as they try to stay in the title race. He also hopes that Arteta will have a strong message for his team after this disappointing draw, as they will need to be at their best in order to achieve their goals.
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