Michael Owen and Dimitar Berbatov disagreed about whether Gabriel Martinelli meant his assist following Arsenal’s 2-1 win over Nottingham Forest on Saturday.
With two Nottingham Forest players around him, the Arsenal forward tried the old ‘Zidane roulette’ skill on the edge of the box, with that piece of action then resulting in the ball falling to Eddie Nketiah, who opened the scoring.
Many were left questioning if Gabriel Martinelli meant it or not, former England striker Michael Owen was certain that he didn’t and he told ex-Manchester United star Berbatov ‘you disappoint me’ after he stated ‘I think he means it’, as he told The Final Word on Premier League Productions (14/08/23 at 10:55 pm).
In terms of Martinelli trying such a skill, it isn’t a surprise because he likes dancing with the ball and putting the opposition on their backside.
But whether or not he meant it, well, only the player will know and it wouldn’t be a surprise if a fair few people still don’t think he did.
During Berbatov’s days in the Premier League, he was known for his silky touch and mesmerising skills, as he and Owen shared their thoughts on Martinelli.
“There has been a lot of debate Berba about this assist,” said Owen. “We want you to clear this up. Does he mean this pass or not? I think not.”
Berbatov states: “I think he means it,” to which Owen responds “He means it? Noooo. Berba, Berba. Come on, Berba!”
The former Tottenham star then added: “Let me see it from the other angle. But it’s clear to me that he means it. Maybe not a pass and he gets lucky.
“But this is the type of tricks that I saw other players do. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t, in this case, I am pretty sure, he means what he is doing.”
Owen then agreed: “I am pretty sure he means the trick, but I am just not sure he means the pass. Enough of that, you have disappointed me.”
Can Martinelli go to the next level?
That’s the aim for the Brazil forward, whose form in front of goal last season, resulted in him making his nation’s 2022 World Cup squad for Qatar.
There is every chance that he can become a mainstay of a Brazil side that is packed with outstanding forward players, no more than Real Madrid superstar, Vinicius Jr.
If Martinelli can hit double figures goals again this season, added to guiding Arsenal to the Premier League title, then his stock will well and truly explode.
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