Arsenal: 3 standout individual performances vs Watford

2. Martin Odegaard

Consistent throughout the campaign – pretty much every game since December – has been some fascinating moments that force fans to sit up and take notice. The first is Martin Odegaard’s pressing. Always sprinting up and harrying opposition defenders, he doesn’t hesitate from racing back to help in his own defensive third either.

The second is his ability on the ball. Unlike players in the past, he rarely goes missing over the stretch of 90 minutes, which was one of the criticisms directed at him earlier in his Gunners career. While some sides have done well to crowd him out and deny him space, he consistently demands the ball and makes things happen. He may not score or assist every game but his influence on how the side plays is marked.

When opposition defenders don’t mark him out completely (which they rarely do), the extra time on the ball allows him to show his class. Against Watford, Odegaard demonstrated yet again why he was such a steal from Real Madrid. His intelligence is absolutely brilliant. How long to hold the ball, when to buy time and then the quality of execution are all first class. The positions he takes up, the way he controls the tempo and how he combines with every single other player only speaks to the maturity he possesses. A maturity far beyond his years, that is.

Arsenal’s play is noticeably slicker and more incisive with the former La Liga man on the pitch. As Arteta’s team look to push on and secure the fourth spot in the table, he’s the driving force en route.

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