The shining light for Arsenal from dire Everton loss

Martin Odegaard Finds an Eye for Goal When Strikers Don’t

Arsenal have scored 18 goals in 15 Premier League matches this season despite facing five of the current bottom seven. Goals are a serious problem.

The majority of the final tally should be shared among the more direct forwards in the team. In two matches Odegaard has more goals than Lacazette and Nicolas Pepe have managed combined in the league all season.

He also has more than Bukayo Saka. The numbers are increasingly worrying.

So heavens knows Arsenal need him to keep this scoring feat up. They haven’t just been tap-ins either, with a wonderful free-kick out of nothing at Turf Moor followed by two very composed finishes away from home in succession. While a goal per game is clearly unsustainable, at least there is someone in the team who you can look at and see potential threat.

This is rather obviously crucial. You’ve got strikers who either miss chances or don’t get them, a malfunctioning midfield and deep-rooted systematic issues that make chance creation a rare commodity you only get if someone mistakenly bumps you up to first class.

Well timed runs for both his previous two goals show another string to his bow, but on the whole he had a solid evening at Goodison Park, one full of delightful touches, flicks and movements into space.

There has always been a highly talented player there. This season he’s been used in deeper roles that haven’t suited his skillset, so earning a regular run in the No. 10 slot as he is means there is more to come from him. Given the amount of time he’s been present in the footballing world, it’s easy to forget his young age: he’s only turning 23 in December.

Still with a way to go, a third match consecutively playing in this position has resulted in two goals from open play. At least one area of the pitch needn’t be changed for the weekend.