Gabriel Martinelli Urges Arsenal Teammates to ‘Prepare for the Worst’ Ahead of Champions League Return
Arsenal have been waiting seven long years to return to the Champions League, and now that the Gunners are finally back in football’s elite European club competition, Gabriel Martinelli has urged his team-mates to ‘prepare for the worst’.
The north London club registered a second-placed finish in the Premier League last term, which will end their seven-year wait for Champions League football. Arsenal have never won the Champions League in the club’s history and last featured in the tournament in the 2016-17 campaign.
The Gunners have been eliminated in the first knockout round the last seven times they have featured in the tournament – with their best result a runner-up finish in the 2005-06 season.
Martinelli Fires Warning to Teammates
‘I think we need to prepare ourselves for the worst, we need to prepare ourselves for the best teams and the whole team is doing that,’ Martinelli said. ‘I think we are ready for a new challenge… It’s so important [our squad depth] because we have too many games in the season and it’s going to be tough again. We are ready to go and it’s good to have so many options.’
Martinelli enjoyed a stellar season last term, registering 15 goals and five assists across 36 Premier League games for Mikel Arteta’s side. Gunners legend Ray Parlour crowned Martinelli as Arsenal’s most improved player for the 2022-23 campaign.
Parlour Praises Martinelli
‘He deserves recognition as he has been excellent off the left,’ he told Metro.co.uk. ‘He took his chance when Emile Smith Rowe got injured. He was a bit-part player really, but after getting his opportunity, he has really improved.’
Arsenal Ready for Champions League Challenge
Arsenal will now be looking to make an impact on the Champions League this season, and with a strong squad depth and a number of talented players, they will be hoping to make it deep into the tournament. It will be a tough challenge, but with Martinelli leading the way, Arsenal will be confident of making it far.