Arsenal: How Odegaard boosts Arteta’s chances vs Man City

What do they put in those energy drinks? They say a change is as good as a rest, and the old adage certainly rang true for Arsenal on Wednesday night as they recorded an emphatic 6-0 win over West Brom and sealed their place in the third round of the Carabao Cup.

However, while the midweek change of scenery gave the Gunners a timely boost following their difficult start to the season, it is an adjustment in personnel and the return of Martin Odegaard that will be welcomed most by Mikel Arteta as we prepare for the daunting trip up north to face Man City.

Already off the mark for the campaign after his sublime assist against the Baggies, Odegaard’s north London homecoming will add a different dimension to our hitherto blunt attack and make us a much more challenging proposition than before for Pep Guardiola’s side.

The Norwegian international brings plenty of quality to the table.

https://twitter.com/standardsport/status/1430650378727612418

The return of Martin Odegaard is great news for Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal ahead of a tough Premier League clash with Man City on Saturday

His excellent positional discipline helps Arsenal maintain structure in central areas and force the Cityzens into wide areas, while his exceptional vision, coupled with clever movement from our rapid forwards, could pose a significant threat to the home team’s favoured high line – something that should come as music to the ears of Aubameyang after his goalscoring exploits at the Hawthorns.

Despite these exciting characteristics, critics of Odegaard have been voicing concerns about his modest attacking contributions when on loan earlier in the year and, admittedly, a tally of two goals and one assist during that time is meagre to say the least.

Statistics can be extremely misleading. Although there were definitely games where he was underwhelming, those numbers do not do justice to the offensive influence the new man exercised on numerous occasions during that stint, such as his role in all three goals at the London Stadium in March and general performance in a 3-1 victory away to Leicester City.

Aside from goals and assists, the attacking impact of the former Real Madrid man last season is also evidenced by some impressive underlying figures such as ‘expected threat’ – which measures the probability of scoring before and after an individual action – where he ranked joint-top in the league along with Sky Blue maestro Kevin De Bruyne.

While such abstractions may appear quite trivial to many onlookers, especially considering our concurrent woes in front of goal, this metric highlights his substantial involvement in build-up phases and indicates that he could make a big difference to Arsenal’s fortunes up front at the weekend.

Arteta said shortly after his arrival that he ‘makes the rest of the players around him better’, but what about others helping Odegaard? A certain Belgian may play a pivotal role.

Continued…

Albert Sambi Lokonga & Odegaard Can Aid Arsenal’s Fluidity

We can expect to see more from Odegaard in Saturday’s early kick-off than we did during our last encounter with City, thanks largely to the efforts of fellow summer arrival Albert Sambi Lokonga.

While Thomas Partey’s absence through injury robbed us of midfield penetration on that February afternoon, this time Lokonga will be available to take up the mantle and continue his encouraging start to life in the Gunners’ engine room.

The Belgian’s calmness in possession and ability to evade pressure, alongside Odegaard’s capacity to expedite ball progression through the lines, should significantly improve our fluidity in the transition, and this may in turn lead to others such as Saka and Smith Rowe getting the ball sooner and having an extra moment to make the difference in the final third.

And while the calibre of opposition and Arteta’s typically cautious approach in big Premier League games might curb the team’s overall attacking firepower, our new No. 8 can still make an impression by pressing from the front and tracking back to offer further defensive support, with his incredible work rate exemplified by his 19.2 pressures per 90 last season – more than any other Arsenal player.

Playing the champions away from home is a much tougher test than the one we experienced in midweek and, although we don’t want to be too defeatist, even the most optimistic of supporters would concede that taking any points this weekend seems improbable.

While that may be the case, having Odegaard back in the fold is a big boost for our under-pressure manager, and his return to the pitch should give us something extra in every department just when we need it most. Let’s hope it is reflected in the final score.