Mikel Arteta stated before the big game against former boss, Pep Guardiola and City, that Arsenal did not come to the Etihad to defend to a 0-0 and draw. Arteta was right. Already after eighteen minutes it was 1-1, but very important points in the title race were not taken away from Manchester. With Haaland’s liberating goal in the 65th minute, City took full advantage and thus breathing down Arsenal’s neck. After the game, it was high-profile Arsenal supporters who, in their disappointment, blamed Martin Ødegaard for a large part of the blame.
Because on earlier twitter , it boiled over on several high-profile Arsenal supporter pages, where the Arsenal captain received strong criticism.
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“Ødegaard must be sold in the summer. You can’t be a spectator in these games!”
“What has happened to Martin Ødegaard?”
The statistics provided by Sofascore show a Ødegaard who did not win a single duel, no tackles, had no dribbles, finishes, no clearances, interceptions or blocked shots, with 15 ball losses in the ninety minutes.
Ødegaard has struggled with injuries this season, this was the captain’s first Premier League game in the last five games. For us, it is therefore natural that the captain did not become the dominant ball-winner in the match against the Premier League’s second best club, in the match against Rodri and the gang. What the Arsenal supporters overlooked was Ødegaard’s attacking contribution: 4 key passes and 1 great chance created. Ødegaard set up Havertz in an almost finished position, but a huge save by the world’s best goalkeeper, Donnaroumma, ensured that Ødegaard’s pass did not turn into an assist and Arsenal’s points were not a fact.
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We understand the frustration and anger of the Arsenal supporters, with a hand on the Premier League trophy, which after this game has turned into “a nail” on the trophy.
However, there is no Arsenal supporter who should have reason to underestimate the importance of the captain of this Arsenal team. Before the City game, Arteta was crystal clear:
“I think Martin has had a very difficult season considering the days he has lost and the number of games, which is very unusual for him. He’s a player who needs that rhythm and who needs to be very connected to the team. And it’s not just him who has missed that opportunity, but the team has also missed him,” the Arsenal manager began in the pre-match press conference.
“There’s so much of what he brings that probably goes unnoticed by the public, or that generally doesn’t show up in those stats, but that runs much deeper within the team and into the identity of this team. He is the one who binds everyone together, who sews everything together, and who makes the team flow in a way no one else can. That is a tremendous quality to have. We need him at his best and we need him constantly with us, because we are a much better team with Martin in and around the squad,” Arteta concluded.
When you also see the form Ødegaard is in after the City game (see a message from Martin), everyone understands that he is far from being fit to dominate the midfield against Manchester City. The Arsenal supporters are wrong, Martin Ødegaard is and will continue to be very important for the Gunners.
