Martin Odegaard’s recent form has declined somewhat. Specifically, the Norwegian midfielder was taken off in the 73rd minute of Arsenal’s 2-1 win over Sevilla in the Champions League.
Odegaard left the field in the 78th minute in a 2-2 draw against Chelsea. He also only played 80 minutes in Arsenal’s 1-2 loss to RC Lens earlier this month.
Odegaard is no longer himself.
It’s clear that Odegaard no longer shows the necessary influence with the captain’s armband in hand. That’s why coach Mikel Arteta decided to push Odegaard to the bench in the match against Sheffield United in round 10 of the Premier League.
Explaining this decision, coach Arteta said: “We have to refresh the squad. We have played many matches. 6 consecutive matches, 90 minutes, in a period of 20 days. We have to pivot.
We need energy. Today we needed to be really sharp and to do that we had to change our formation.”
Against Sheffield United, Arsenal’s attack worked smoothly. The midfield trio of Declan Rice, Kai Havetz and Emile Smith Rowe played well together to help the Gunners win 5-0, in which Eddie Nketiah scored a hat-trick.
Tieu Lam | 22:30 October 28, 2023
