Opinion: Martinelli must copy one trait of Chelse star to become elite

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In our view, Gabriel Martinelli should emulate one aspect of former Arsenal target Raheem Sterling’s (via the Telegraph) game to reach the next level.

Martinelli could hit unseen heights by learning one of Sterling’s best traits

And that very characteristic is the Chelsea winger’s incredible positioning in the box.

When the ex-Liverpool wonderkid joined Manchester City in 2016, he was often slated for his poor finishing.

While many of the same criticisms remained during his time at City, there was a huge upturn in the four-time Premier League champion’s goalscoring output.

For context, the England international hit 20+ goals in three successive seasons for the Sky Blues in all competitions, whilst never scoring less than 10 goals, with a majority of his strikes coming inside the penalty area.

As brilliant as Martinelli is, he is yet to develop this trait.

While the Brazilian international has arguably been the best left winger in the country, he only has 5 goals to his name in the league so far.

For context, gifted, yet perhaps less established widemen like Miguel Almiron (8) and Harvey Barnes (6) have more goals to their name.

Currently, the Arsenal wonderkid is renowned for his excellent dribbling, cracking pace and ability to run beyond defenders.

At the Etihad Stadium, Sterling possessed all the aforementioned traits whilst also being an elite penalty box threat, which elevated his game to unseen standards.

So much so that largely, the 27-year-old is already viewed as one of the greatest wingers in Premier League history.

Considering Martinelli’s off-the-ball movement is already top-drawer, he can further hone this side of his skillset by being a bigger menace inside the box.

Once the Gunners fan favourite develops this skill, it is inevitable that he will start to put up goalscoring numbers that merit his enviable all-round game.

If Arsenal ace Martinelli truly wishes to be considered amongst the elite of the elite, sitting back and watching a Sterling showreel that includes the goals he has scored inside the box for City and England will do him a world of good.