Mikel Arteta faces one brutal call that could decide Arsenal’s title

After the international break, Arsenal play all of their cup finals before the season reaches its conclusion. Every single game is a must-win, even given their gap over Man City. That said, when Arsenal need to win matches, fans know the one player they must turn to: Martin Ødegaard.

Ødegaard has had a frustrating season, but if there's anyone you want to name in an Arsenal XI to create chances, it's him. Since he's expected to return from injury soon after the international break, and having been "frustrated" while on the treatment table, we could see the Ødegaard Arsenal fans have been missing when it matters most.

Arsenal need Martin Ødegaard now more than ever

Despite missing a large chunk of this season through injury and being out of form by his own standard, Martin Ødegaard is ninth in the Premier League for passes into the penalty area. That, frankly, is enough reason for him to be starting for Arsenal when they need him most.

Sure, you could argue that Kai Havertz is a better player right now, and he is. He and Viktor Gyökeres need to be playing together, and the only way to do that is by playing Kai Havertz in the midfield, at Ødegaard's expense.

Unfortunately for Havertz, though, he doesn't provide the creative ingenuity that Ødegaard does.

The painstakingly obvious thing that Arsenal lack without their captain

Arsenal are two different teams with and without Ødegaard, that's the kind of impact he has when he's at his best. While the Gunners have sufficed without him, you can't help but get the feeling over the last couple of weeks that Arsenal are flirting with disaster in the final third.

To secure their way to a Premier League title, they need to secure their way to goals. The defence sorts itself out, and Arsenal's attack is by far their weak link this season.

One avenue that Arsenal haven't explored enough is bridging the gap between midfield and attack. They've tried everything else, but they haven't had that play that anchors the final two-thirds without doing it all himself. It's no coincidence that this trend has been lacking when Ødegaard is out of the team.

Now is not the time to experiment, I get that. But playing Ødegaard is not experimenting; he is one of the handful of Arsenal players you could describe as world-class. He has been in form for Arsenal more than he's been out of it.

Even if a handful more chances are created for Arsenal per game, that's still the edge that Arsenal need, and it's more than enough reason to be starting Ødegaard for the run-in.