Some people are blessed with the ability to dream lucidly. Others can see wonderfully vivid and colourful patterns with their eyes shut, perhaps in an *ahem* altered state.

Not me. Ever since Sunday, I have been besieged by visions of Arsenal flinging crosses into the box at Nottingham Forest.

The champions have been heavily criticised for their performance in victory at the City Ground, lacking even a modicum of wit or invention.

Arsenal fans will claim to take comfort in three points gained and the idea that winning while playing blandly is the sign of a top team.

But surely there must be concerns? The sheer amount of crosses into the Forest penalty area did not hint at the kind of optimised strategy so beloved by Mikel Arteta, but rather at playing it safe.

It was the footballing equivalent of the saying ‘Nobody gets fired for buying IBM’. Crosses may look proactive, but also of individuals avoiding the kind of risks that may get them singled out.

It may be enough to retain the Premier League title, with several rivals in flux and the majority of opponents not possessing Arsenal’s strength in depth.

But nothing on Sunday suggested they’ve evolved sufficiently from their meek display in last season’s Champions League final.

Alternatively, Arteta’s strategy may have made more sense had they not sold Gabriel Martinelli over the summer.

Martinelli now plays for Al-Hilal, who have a ridiculously stacked line-up. He’s part of a frontline that also contains Ollie Watkins and Crysencio Summerville. That’s Premier League top six quality.

Behind him, Ruben Neves and Sergei Milinkovic-Savic patrol midfield. Al-Hilal also have Kalidou Koulibaly at the back and Morocco goalkeeper Bono in net.

His winner against Al-Hazem on Monday was the kind you’d hope to see from Kai Havertz or Viktor Gyokeres, a thumping header that left the keeper flat-footed.

Al-Hilal [1] – 0 Al- Hazem – Gabriel Martinelli 89′
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Yes, you can point at the Al-Hazem marking and smugly note that Premier League defences are rarely so statuesque.

These people should be ignored, the type to affirm that nothing better is ever possible and to enjoy your Huel.

But it also misses the point. Martinelli is still only 25 and this was the kind of poacher’s finish to suggest he was capable of more than the one-note Duracell Bunny he became under Arteta.

Havertz scores goals, but not frequently enough. And when was the last time Gyokeres showed this level, or indeed any level, of dynamic movement?

There’s a nagging sense that Martinelli was misprofiled by his manager. Arteta likes attackers to perform a set of constrained instructions, which is one reason why Eberechi Eze looks like a kid who’s lost his mum in a Big Tesco.

The Arsenal manager is brilliant at developing defenders and midfielders, but has something of a blind spot with attackers.

This is something he’s inherited from David Moyes, who repurposed the likes of Tim Cahill, Marko Arnautovic and Mikel Antonio as effective strikers, but floundered with specialist No. 9s (James Beattie and Gianluca Scamacca to name two).

Arteta isolated Martinelli on the wing too often, subjecting him to one-on-one duels that didn’t suit his profile.

A more open-minded manager would’ve used him as a striker, capable of carrying the ball and flustering defenders.

And, it seems, he’s also capable of headers to moisten the eyes of Proper Football Men everywhere.

Memories of a teenage Martinelli scoring *that* solo goal at Stamford Bridge in 2020 remain vivid enough to feel sad at how it all eventually played out at Arsenal.

Some of their more thoughtful fans must have visions of a more free-flowing team, or one at least capable of doing so without descending into mud wrestling quite so frequently or gleefully.

Arteta can point at his big silver trophy for now, but football is a constantly evolving sport and Martinelli would’ve been useful to keep around.

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