It is often claimed the captain is the beating heart that fully embodies a team and it certainly was the case with Martin Odegaard and Arsenal against Paris Saint-Germain. Both were underwhelming.
The Champions League semi-final loss in north London was not the display envisaged after the high standards set by the quarter-final triumph over Real Madrid. It was Arsenal’s biggest game of the season and the performance of the Gunners’ skipper was alarming.
The Norwegian failed to have a shot and created just one chance, despite being the creative fulcrum of Arsenal’s team. His influence was summarised by just four forward passes all game – his midfield partners in Mikel Merino and Declan Rice managed 20 between them.
But Odegaard’s ineffectual performance was not a complete surprise – there have been concerns about the midfielder’s levels for some time.
The Norwegian went nearly 300 days without a goal from open play for club and country between April 2024 and February of this year.
Odegaard ended that run with two goals in three games against Dinamo Zagreb and Manchester City, but his creativity is now under scrutiny. Since breaking that goal duck, his only Premier League assists have come via two set-pieces and one accidental touch for Leandro Trossard’s goal at Ipswich.
This is the same player who scored 15 Premier League goals in the 2022/23 season, while his 10 top-flight assists last term was bettered by just two players.
This season, he has five goals and eight assists in the Premier League and Champions League – with a handful of games left to rectify this total.
Close observers of the Arsenal captain will know Odegaard’s game is not solely restricted to goals and assists. There are better ways to show the 26-year-old’s influence on his team.
Odegaard still ranks joint-top of the Premier League, alongside Mohamed Salah, for passes leading to a shot every 90 minutes – ie. playing the ball that leads to an effort within two passes. He is also a key part of Arsenal’s press – as shown against PSG on Thursday.
As the French side dominated the opening half an hour at the Emirates, Mikel Arteta switched his pressing shape from a 4-4-2 to a 4-2-3-1, moving Merino further back to intercept balls.
The Arsenal manager’s mid-game switch was communicated to the team via Odegaard, underlining his important role as connector between the manager and his players.
But while Arsenal needed those Odegaard skills, they also required someone to take the game by the scruff of the neck and swing the tide.
While Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice also hold that game-winning responsibility, Odegaard is the one with the armband – and the way he is highly involved in the build-up and press highlights his control of Arsenal’s intensity.
And the numbers point at an all-time low for Odegaard in terms of dribbling the ball and winning duels – two key parts of Arteta’s Arsenal in terms of winning the ball and moving it quickly up the pitch through transitions.
These numbers coincide with Odegaard’s goal and creativity output. When Odegaard scored 15 Premier League goals two seasons ago, he was also completing a significantly higher number of dribbles and duels. The two different type of numbers go hand in hand.
There are multiple suspected reasons why Odegaard is dipping in these metrics. Missing six weeks at the start of the season through an ankle injury – plus a longer-than-usual illness over the festive period – may have put him out of rhythm. For all of the current criticism of his performances, his absence has been felt when he is unavailable.
There is also the instability around him on the pitch, with the injuries to Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus presenting a lack of a natural centre-forward to work off.
Even the suspension for Thomas Partey against PSG meant Arsenal had to change both of the midfield positions around Odegaard. But instead of being the leader, Odegaard looked the lost one, while Rice and Merino performed well in midfield.
Former Arsenal midfielder Paul Merson reflects on the Gunners’ 1-0 loss to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League semi-final and believes the home side looked ‘scared’ in the first leg.
Everyone knows Odegaard’s full potential but in the case of this season, the wait for him to turn up when Arsenal need him goes on, with time running out on the Gunners’ campaign.
“We’re going to go there full gas,” said Odegaard about next week’s Champions League semi-final second leg at PSG, the game which will define Arsenal’s season. But there are doubts as to how much is left in his tank.
Saturday 3rd May 5:00pm
Kick off 5:30pm
Watch Arsenal vs Bournemouth live on Sky Sports’ Saturday Night Football this weekend from 5pm; kick-off 5:30pm
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