Martin Ødegaard suffers more than any other Arsenal player due to the club’s lack of a natural striker, and his role as a scapegoat for some fans after the Gunners’ 1-0 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League on Tuesday is a clear sign of this.
That said, Arsenal faced the world’s best football team, which Liverpool also noticed. Paris Saint-Germain have Ousmane Dembélé, but more important than the fantastic French left winger. – Manager Luis Enrique has created a team in complete harmony. It will be tough for Barcelona in the Champions League final. (Expects Inter Milan to fall short in the semi-finals)
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While Mikel Merino has had the opportunity to carve out a cult following with his bursts into attack, the real pressure of expectations has landed on the shoulders of the Arsenal captain – who is now taking one for the team with all the criticism levelled at him.
There is no doubt that he failed in the midweek game, which sparked frustration among the home crowd who saw a somewhat powerless showdown at the Emirates.
The numbers the Norwegian international delivered against PSG were really sad. As a playmaker, for example, he completed only 21 passes during the game and succeeded with only one of six attempts to dribble past opponents.
There are a bunch of stats from the game that Ødegaard can’t be proud of, and it’s hard to argue that he was anything other than a passenger while Bukayo Saka carried a lot of what little Arsenal had to offer.
Martin Ødegaard v PSG
Minutes played: 89
Shots: 0
Key passes: 1
Touches: 40
Passes completed: 24
Dribbles: Successful/Attempts: 1/6
Now fingers are starting to be pointed at Ødegaard for not having contributed enough this season as a whole. After all, he has only two Premier League goals this season. The 26-year-old has scored an average of 10 goals per season since joining the club permanently in 2021, and it looks like he will fall short of that expectation.
In terms of assists, he has a relatively modest tally of six, but taking into account limited playing time, this could be his best season since joining Arsenal.
Martin Ødegaard: It’s not just about the goals
Ødegaard is living another brilliant season, despite not scoring the attention-grabbing goals expected of him.
The data analysts at SciSports rank Ødegaard as the fifth-best central midfielder in the Premier League this season, with stats showing that he remains a creative monster in what he brings to his team.
Ødegaard vs. other Premier League midfielders: Overall performance (2024/25)
With an estimated market value (ETV) of 125 million uro, he is the seventh most valuable player in the world and the second most valuable in the Premier League.
But Arsenal’s current situation is such that his strengths cannot be fully exploited. Give him a dangerous goal thief – like Viktor Gyökeres – and watch him flourish.
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Yes, his performance against PSG was not up to par, but he is still performing at an exceptionally high level – something that will become even more evident when Arsenal sign the player they so clearly need in the summer window.
The other semi-final will be played at the Parc des Princes on May 7.
