British newspaper: Arsenal is wasting Odegaard's talent

According to Sky Sports, Arsenal have failed to win their last three Premier League games because their attack wasted all 19 attacking situations created by captain Martin Odegaard.

In most games, Odegaard raises his arms to ask the fans to fire up the fire, trying to motivate his teammates to put more pressure on the opposition goal. Sky Sports likens the image to that of an orchestra conductor, and is a metaphor for Odegaard's role in Mikel Arteta's tactical system.

Odegaard has been at the heart of most of Arsenal's attacks. The Norwegian has made more passes leading to shots than any other player in the Premier League this season. The majority of his passes are 'pre-assists' - the passes that precede the shot. And this has been a key weapon for Arsenal this season.

In the loss to West Ham on December 28, Odegaard beat four defenders with a through ball to Ben White, but Gabriel Jesus could not tap in after the English defender's cross. Screenshot

Arsenal's winning goals at Everton and Brentford came from Odegaard's "pre-assist" passes. These passes also helped Arsenal take early leads against Tottenham and Bournemouth. Odegaard's decisive pass also set up Kai Havertz's goal to seal a 2-0 win over Brighton at the Emirates.

But Arsenal are in decline. A draw at Liverpool and back-to-back defeats to West Ham and Fulham have severely damaged the Gunners' title ambitions. They have dropped to fourth before entering the new year 2024.

Despite that, Odegaard's class has not diminished. The Norwegian midfielder has made 19 passes leading to shots during Arsenal's three-game winless run, all of which have failed to result in goals.

Odegaardi dribbles past West Ham players Edson Alvarez and James Ward-Prowse during Arsenal's 0-2 loss to West Ham at Emirates Stadium in round 19 of the Premier League on December 28. Photo: Reuters

The most wasteful of these was the 0-2 defeat to West Ham at home at the Emirates, where Arsenal had 30 shots. Of those, Odegaard, directly or indirectly, created 12. "Arsenal's attacking options were ineffective while their captain tried to set the table," commented Sky Sports .

The warning signs were there, as Arsenal's attack failed to benefit from Odegaard's creativity. Furthermore, the Gunners scored just two goals from 41 chances created by the Norwegian midfielder.

Like in the match against Brighton, Odegaard passed the ball with the outside of his left foot to Bukayo Saka who then passed it back to Gabriel Martinelli. But in front of an empty goal, the Brazilian striker kicked it into the sky.

Odegaard tore apart the Brighton defence with an outside-of-the-foot pass to Saka, but Martinelli then missed when set up by his England team-mate. Screenshot

Similarly, Trossard and Eddie Nketiah both squandered Odegaard passes against Wolves. But Arsenal won both games, so the misses went unnoticed.

Those moments didn’t cost Arsenal points, but they were paying the price. Gabriel Jesus and Saka both missed close-range chances from Odegaard’s passes against West Ham. Three days later, Martinelli was wasteful when the Norwegian midfielder set him up to shoot in the Fulham box.

Odegaard assisted, but Martinelli No. 11 shot wide in the 1-2 loss to Fuham on December 31. Screenshot

Every Arsenal forward has missed at least one clear-cut chance created by Odegaard in recent weeks, leaving the 25-year-old with just three assists in the Premier League, despite having an expected assist rate of 4.37.

That's why Arsenal's attack has been criticised and Arteta has been advised to bring in a world-class centre-forward in the winter transfer window. "Man City have won the league so many times because of Sergio Aguero and now Erling Haaland," former centre-back Jamie Carragher commented on Monday Night Football . "Is the current squad good enough for Arsenal to win the league? Are any of them world-class at the moment to take Arsenal to the title? I'd say no."

Arsenal's wastefulness contrasts with Odegaard's brilliance, which has cost them six points in their last two Premier League games. And failing to fix that problem could lead to even worse results.

Arsenal's attack will continue to be tested in the FA Cup and Champions League in January and February respectively, before the Premier League title race enters the final stages in the following months.

"The conductor is of no use if the performers are out of tune. If Arsenal want to become a serious contender in many arenas, they need their forwards to be in sync with their captain," commented Sky Sports .

Hong Duy

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