‘They are brilliant’: Patrick Vieira left blown away by two Arsenal players’ work rates this season
Patrick Vieira has praised the work rate of Arsenal youngsters Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli.
Covering Arsenal’s disappointing defeat to Manchester City on BT Sport, Vieira was praising the Gunners stars.
There was a huge amount of expectation on Saka and Martinelli’s shoulders going into yesterday’s match.
Bukayo Saka hadn’t been playing his best football in Arsenal’s last few matches.
A missed penalty against West Ham summed up his recent form, although he had been unbelievable up to that point.
Gabriel Martinelli has also been sensational this season, although his performances may have gone slightly under the radar.
One thing that Patrick Vieira has noticed about Saka and Martinelli is their incredible work in and out of possession.
Arsenal have massively benefitted from having two wingers who are capable of beating their full-back on either side.
Not only that, they’re both capable of putting in a last-ditch tackle at the other end of the pitch if needed.
Vieira praises Saka and Martinelli work rate
Asked about the pair’s brilliant season, Vieira said: “I think they are brilliant.
“They are really important and have scored some really important goals.
“They are working really hard out of possession, running in behind, helping the team out of possession and they are showing a lot of maturity.
“When the team is in a really difficult period you can see that they are really disciplined and, of course, accept that they have to defend.”
The most important thing for Arsenal now is to make sure their season doesn’t completely fizzle out after yesterday’s defeat.
Mikel Arteta must make sure they keep the pressure on Manchester City in case they do slip up.l
They will have one eye on the Champions League and trying to win that competition for the first time.
As Vieira says, it’s hard to see Martinelli or Saka’s attitude changing in the final weeks of the season.
With Champions League football now confirmed for next season, they’re arguably playing for their places in the side next season
Arsenal will want to recruit and already have Leandro Trossard breathing down their necks for minutes.
Even though both players struggled to make an impact last night, they’ve had magnificent seasons. It’s now important they finish strongly and continue to put Manchester City under pressure.
