How Leandro Trossard is helping Arsenal forget about Martin Odegaard

There was a time in the not-so-distant past when you couldn't imagine this Arsenal team without its captain, Martin Odegaard.

The metronomic Norwegian has been a near ever-present in Mikel Arteta's starting XI since he made his move to north London permanent ahead of the 2021/22 campaign. We've seen the humble playmaker evolve pretty drastically in these parts, with Odegaard shouldering immense responsibility with and without the ball as Arsenal developed into Premier League title contenders.

Odegaard's significance to the club's rise under Arteta meant the fear and panic which spread among the fanbase as we saw him limp off during a Nations League bout between Norway and Austria was justified. His ankle injury didn't appear particularly clever, with pessimism coursing among pseudo-medical marvels online. Nevertheless, it became clear that the Gunners were going to be without their influential skipper for a prolonged period and it's not yet known when we're going to see Odegaard back jeering up the Emirates crowd.

But hey, we're not stressin' over here. In the absence of their master artist, a swift evolution was paramount. Arteta's Gunners have drifted away from an iteration in which Odegaard was prominent into one defined by physicality and overwhelming fluidity in possession.

The boss has not opted for a direct replacement. The club does not boast a midfielder capable of performing a role as all-encompassing as Odegaard's. Ethan Nwaneri carries the swagger from the half-space, but he cannot yet drop deep in a bid to dictate nor lead a fierce pressing unit from the front.

Arteta's adaptation has returned Leandro Trossard to greater prominence, and, once again, the Belgian has repaid the manager's faith.

Leandro Trossard has stepped up in a big way after Martin Odegaard's injury

Trossard enjoyed a scoring run down the stretch last season which would've thrust him into Gunners folklore had they ended up with their first Premier League title in 20 years. The Belgian has developed a propensity to produce in the clutch, but he's also emerged as an important tactical weapon for Arteta.

With Gabriel Jesus still thinking about how sweet life was in September 2022 and Raheem Sterling only making his first Premier League start for the club on Saturday, Trossard has been key in mitigating Odegaard's absence. However, he is not performing the 'Odegaard role'.

While the 3-2-5 remains recognisable at times when Arsenal have the ball, we're also seeing a 4-2-4 shape which allows almost all of the personnel to freely rotate. Trossard has operated in tandem with Kai Havertz as duel false nines, with the pair, most notably, having no fixed position. You might remember Arteta whipping this ploy out at the start of 2024 against Liverpool in the FA Cup, only it was Odegaard working off the shoulder of Havertz.

We're seeing the false nines drop from their forward positions in a bid to overload central areas, but the pair are also excellent at occupying the space created by Arsenal's rotations. Trossard, in particular, exposed PSG's defensive shape by drifting into unoccupied wide areas which allowed him to receive possession, drive up the pitch, and create - just like he did for Havertz's opener that night

Trossard is no masterful playmaker, but a canny operator with impressive instincts around the box. We saw his scoring habit return in the dramatic win over Leicester, with Trossard having a hand in the go-ahead goal having already scored Arsenal's second with a pinpoint finish.

The Belgian's flexibility and Arteta's ability to adapt or, in this instance, return to a system we've already seen, has allowed Arsenal to cope in the absence of their captain. Moreover, some might argue that Odegaard's injury has aided Bukayo Saka's ability to impact games given that he's recorded a whopping 29 shot-creating actions in the Gunners' previous two Premier League outings. Saka, like Trossard, has stepped up in a big way since the September international break.

But hey, we can always rely on Saka to pick us up in a time of apparent crisis (lol), right? Trossard, meanwhile, has once again reminded us why he may well be the astutest bit of business conducted since Arteta ascended to the throne.

READ THE LATEST ARSENAL NEWS HERE!