Martin Ødegaard’s future in Arsenal’s first team seems to be in jeopardy.
The Gunners captain sat on from the bench for 77 minutes while his attacking midfielder teammate, Eberechi Eze, put in one of the best performances on the pitch in the club’s 4-1 win away to Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday. – Ødegaard provided an assist in overtime.
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Ødegaard’s omission from the starting eleven came amid minor concerns over a knee injury, but Eze’s two goals left fans wondering if the Norwegian has lost his place as Mikel Arteta’s first choice in the ten-man role.
Despite injury problems, many believe Ødegaard has had a dip in form this season, with only one goal in 26 games. At the same time, there are many who do not forget, including the manager. On Sunday, we’ll get more answers, when Arsenal host Chelsea at the Emirates Stadium.
Eze has only started five Premier League games when Ødegaard has been available, but talkSPORT’s Inside Gooners panel believes the £67.5m star is poised to be the key player.
When asked about Eze’s performance against Spurs, former Arsenal defender Adrian Clarke said: “He was outstanding, wasn’t he?
This was a very orthodox ten-role, because we had Declan Rice and Martin Zubimendi who were lying flat as well.
He was the guy, centrally. And I think you have to play pretty high to affect the game.
Be sure to get inside the box. He obviously got into the box for both goals. He wins the ball. He started to win the ball better than he did earlier in the season.
We saw it in the build-up to his second goal. I just thought that after he scored the first one, Eze grew three inches taller. He started to gain some confidence and style. It was as if it was his stage.
Some of the little touches, flicks and passes around the corner were a joy to watch. He was pure class. But he has now set the standard.
It has to be the level. You can’t just do it twice a season against Spurs. He has to play with that drive, that determination, that style against everyone. And if he does, Ødegaard won’t be back in the team.”
Eze has scored six goals in the Premier League this season, five of which have come in the two north London derbies, following his hat trick in November.
This already makes him a cult hero of sorts among Arsenal fans, as he also turned down a move to Spurs in the summer.
However, those two games have potentially smoothed over a mixed season for the former Crystal Palace star, who has twice been taken off the pitch at half-time by Arteta in recent months.
“Part of it is pressure,” Clarke added. “But I think he can handle it. It’s the quality of the opponent, isn’t it? Spurs are not a very good team.
We now want to see him influence the Manchester City game in that way, the Chelsea game in that way. That is the next big challenge. But I think he’s ready to do it.”
Former Arsenal winger Perry Groves, who spoke extensively about the club’s stiff competition in the tenth position, believes Eze has gradually raised his game since swapping Selhurst Park for the Emirates Stadium.
Groves said, “I think Eze realized he wasn’t at the level he wants to be at. And you are judged on another level at Arsenal.
He could have had a bad game for Crystal Palace and it doesn’t matter because he knows he’s going to play week in and week out because the fans love him.
You can’t have a bad game for Arsenal. It doesn’t work that way because there are other players at your level that the manager just says, OK, you can resign.”
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