Gabriel Martinelli has said he understands Arsenal fans’ frustration over their inconsistent form this season but has vowed that his teammates will fight for the Premier League title “until the last game and moment.”
Arsenal have finished second in each of the last two seasons, losing the title on both occasions to Manchester City. With Pep Guardiola’s side suffering a spectacular loss in form this season, Arsenal looked well-placed to win their first Premier League title since 2004.
But, Mikel Arteta’s side trail leaders Liverpool by six points despite having played a game more. The defensive solidity that marked the previous seasons has been missing and a combination of injuries and form has seen their attacking output fall. The north London side have already drawn more games (8) than they did in all of last season.
“I’m a fan myself. I know how they feel. Like us, they want to be champions,” Martinelli said in an exclusive interview with ESPN Brasil.
“Of course, we players are the first to push ourselves to want to win every game, to want to be Premier League champions. That’s football. Sometimes things don’t work out the way you’d like. We wanted to win the last two years, but it didn’t happen.
“And this year, with City not doing so well, Liverpool came on stronger. City are going to get going again, as they always do, and they’re going to be another team that will give us a hard time.”
Following an injury-ravaged 2023-24 season, Martinelli has shown signs of returning to his best this year. The Brazil international’s strike against Aston Villa earlier this month saw him match his Premier League goals tally of last season.
With 15 games still to play in the league, the forward believes the title race isn’t done yet.
“We have to play our part, try to win games, stay calm. The Premier League is long and every game is difficult. When you think it’s going to be easy, it ends up being complicated. The Premier League is like that,” he said.
“Now we have to believe until the last game and moment. Trust in our quality.”