Arteta's Arsenal experiment has ran its course and must end

Arteta’s Arsenal experiment has ran its course and must end

Arsenal's Spanish manager Mikel Arteta reacts during the English Premier League football match between Arsenal and Crystal Palace at the Emirates Stadium in London on October 18, 2021. - - RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. (Photo by Glyn KIRK / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. (Photo by GLYN KIRK/AFP via Getty Images) /

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BURNLEY, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 18: Martin Odegaard of Arsenal takes off his shirt to give to fans during the Premier League match between Burnley and Arsenal at Turf Moor on September 18, 2021 in Burnley, England. (Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images) /

Time for Arsenal to Bring Martin Odegaard Back Into the Team

Praise needs to go to Arteta for making use of a player who would otherwise be raking in hefty weekly earnings only to occasionally get a start in the Carabao Cup. Equally, Lacazette has come in and brought new life into Arsenal when it would be easy to play out the final year of his deal in relative comfort.

As opposition teams familiarise themselves with the current setup and as Arsenal continue to struggle for creativity and threat in attack, Martin Odegaard should be brought back into the fold.

One of the more startling statistics from the season so far is that Arsenal are averaging just 46.5% possession. Of course, game state impacts this as the times when Arsenal have got themselves in front they’ve proceeded to surrender control of the ball, yet even in those instances they need someone to wrestle back the initiative.

Odegaard is someone who when he’s on the ball has everyone in play. The passes around him are almost all viable options as he has the technical craft to not only thread the balls others can’t, but to also see them in the first place. Lacazette has been a temporary fix to a problem he isn’t designed to solve.

Introducing the Norwegian back into the fold won’t solve everything either. The issues of chance creation across this team aren’t solely down to choices of personnel. And while Odegaard still has to improve how he imposes himself in matches where Arsenal are losing a touch of control, the ‘solution’ each time this has happened over recent weeks has been to bring him on off the bench.

The role that Lacazette has been playing is more of the No. 10 than what the 22-year-old has been asked to adopt this season. Getting him higher up the pitch into the areas where Lacazette has been operating and putting more faith in the midfield duo of Sambi and Thomas Partey to progress from deeper may bring about valuable threat.

Does Odegaard need to do more though? Absolutely.

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