Arsenal legend Ian Wright has now taken aim at one player for an error he made against Bayern Munich on Wednesday night. 

Arsenal did not create many chances against Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena. 

The Gunners could only muster three shots on target as they slumped to a 1-0 defeat against the German giants, and consequently crashed out of the Champions League at the quarter-final stage.

One of the North London club’s better chances fell to Gabriel Martinelli. The Brazilian winger had been brought back into the starting XI for this match, with Leandro Trossard having dropped to the bench. 

Martinelli has shown in the past that he can be lethal in front of goal. However, the £180,000-a-week ace has struggled to find the back of the net all season. In 38 outings, across all competitions, the 22-year-old has been able to chip in with just 8 goals.

Compared to last season, when he found the back of the net 15 times in 46 appearances, the drop-off is significant.

When an opportunity to strike a blow against Bayern Munich fell Martinelli’s way, he didn’t take it confidently.

Ian Wright slams Gabriel Martinelli for Champions League miss

With half an hour on the clock, Martin Odegaard picked out Martinelli in the box. The forward had time and space, but elected to take on the shot first time. However, rather than hit it with his stronger right foot, he let the ball come across his body and he side-footed it with his left. His tame effort was straight at Manuel Neuer who gathered the ball easily.

Reviewing this moment on his Wrighty’s House podcast, Ian Wright said, “don’t let it come across you. You’ve got to do too much to get it on target…Martinelli can come onto that with the pace on the ball and really whip that in, because when you see he opens his left foot and it actually hits the part of the foot that takes it straight to the goalkeeper…that’s the margins…that’s a half-chance…Martinelli’s was a half-chance that you have to take at this level, and that is what they’ll probably be learning, stuff like that.”

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Mikel Arteta must address Arsenal goalscoring concern

Martinelli was not the only Arsenal forward to struggle against Bayern Munich. Bukayo Saka frustrated Arsenal fans, and Leandro Trossard was criticised by the media for his ineffective cameo.

In a high-stakes game of few chances, though, it is important to grab any opportunities that come your way, as Wright states. Mikel Arteta needed Martinelli to show a killer instinct in this moment and the Brazil international could not provide the clinical touch.

Much has been made of the Gunners’ lack of an elite goalscorer. Arteta will have learned many lessons about his Arsenal squad in Munich last night, perhaps chief amongst them will have been just how much the lack of a top-level striker is holding his side back.