Should Martin Odegaard start against Sevilla?
Usually Arsenal’s saviour, captain Martin Odegaard was far from his best against the Blues, as highlighted by his mere 36 touches and losing possession 11 times in midfield.
Once lauded as “exceptional” by Pep Guardiola, the Norwegian maintained a pass completion rate of just 80% against the Blues, and failed to record a single shot to tell the tale of his anonymous display in west London.
In form that’s unusual for the £240k-per-week ace, Odegaard was also far from impressive against Lens last time out in the Champions League, somewhat decreasing his claim to a spot in the starting XI against Sevilla.
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Against the French outfit, the midfielder was again a backseat passenger for Arsenal, recording only 49 touches and losing possession nine times, raising the question of whether rotation could inspire him to rediscover his form.
Arteta isn’t short of personnel that could thrive if he made the bold decision to drop Odegaard this evening, with the likes of Emile Smith-Rowe and Fabio Vieira queuing for the chance to showcase their skills in the starting lineup.
It would be a critically bold move for Arteta to drop his captain, however, Odegaard’s performances of late have been questionable, and most commonly the key to unlocking past form is healthy competition.
Arsenal need a win tonight, and the Spaniard has several decisions to make with reference to his squad choices after the mediocre performance against Chelsea last weekend.
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