Arsenal fans would have been over the moon to see Takehiro Tomiyasu shock Germany at the World Cup yesterday....CONTINUE READING
It’s been a positive start to the tournament for Gunners stars, with Bukayo Saka stealing the headlines for England.
Speaking to the Mirror, Chelsea defender Thiago Silva has raved about of another of Arsenal’s young talents.
His Brazil side take of Serbia as their World Cup campaign kicks off today.
The Selecao go into the tournament as one of the favourites, especially after Germany and Argentina’s shock defeats.
Brazil manager Tite has a huge selection of attacking talent to choose from that would be the envy of any country.
Thiago Silva has been particularly positive about Gabriel Martinelli, who he thinks is a special player.
Martinelli was a bit of a surprise inclusion in the squad, having been left out by Tite in September.
However, his form for Arsenal meant he forced his way into the squad ahead of the likes of Liverpool’s Roberto Firmino.
Martinelli is a special player – Thiago Silva
Speaking to the Mirror about Arsenal’s Brazilian forwards, Thiago Silva said: “You can see the connection they’ve had this season with Arsenal. It’s a big reason why they’re top of the Premier League.
“[Gabriel] Jesus, we’ve known about his quality for a long time, but Martinelli is really showing what he’s about.
“He’s playing without fear and, if he gets the chance to play, I don’t think it will faze him and he’ll just do what we know he can do.
“I think all attacking players at the top level need that little bit of arrogance – that they know they can do something special – and he has that.”
Brazil Portraits – FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022
Martinelli will wear the number 26 for Brazil in Qatar this month.
This suggests he might sit further down the pecking order right now.
Joe Cole has backed him to be one of the stars of the World Cup in four years’ time, but he’ll be hoping to make a more immediate impact.
He’s already been impressing his international teammates with his finishing in training.
Martinelli is clearly a special player. He could get his opportunity against Serbia today to show it on the biggest stage.
