Arsenal’s treatment of Gabriel Martinelli has been questioned by Ian Wright after the Brazil forward was left out of their squad for Friday’s opening game against Coventry. Martinelli turned down a move to Galatasaray last week after Arsenal had agreed a fee with the Turkish club and the former striker Wright revealed on Sky Sports after the Coventry game that no one at the club has spoken to the 25-year-old to discuss his future. But the rules are the rules.
Nobody can refuse to play and emerge without a mark against their character. This is the charge against Watkins, brought in none-too-subtle fashion by Unai Emery after Villa’s 4-0 defeat at Brighton – a match that Watkins missed as he considers an approach from Al-Hilal. We do not yet have Watkins’s side of the story.
But given Emery had no other available No 9, it feels pretty clear the manager did not choose to omit Watkins. Villa claim they are not close to any agreement with Al-Hilal, having rejected more than one offer from them. Perish the thought that this could drag on.
Villa have one more game before the window shuts – against Arsenal at home next Monday night. David Hytner Michael Carrick was limited in his options during Manchester United’s opener because Benjamin Sesko was unable to feature at any point in pre-season but Matheus Cunha was completely ineffective as a false 9. Hull’s back three enjoyed a very quiet lunchtime as they returned to the Premier League.
Cunha did not embrace the physical battle and went missing, leaving United with barely any presence in the final third as they failed to threaten their opponents. Sesko was brought on to change the dynamic but was equally ineffectual, while his fellow striker Joshua Zirkzee was left on the bench, implying how little trust the coaches have in him. Carrick needs to get Sesko up to speed and sell Zirkzee soon, freeing up funds to find a better alternative if United are to compete this season, especially with the false 9 tactic looking flawed.
Will Unwin Manchester United were impressively unthreatening in their approach to losing at Hull. There was the odd half-baked attempt at scoring or putting a cross into a dangerous area but nothing that made the highlights reel. This was unfortunate for the Hull goalkeeper Konstantinos Tzolakis, who had an impressive, if somewhat uncomplicated, debut between the sticks.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
