Arsenal’s recent wobble has provoked questions about the strength of their squad. On Saturday, their starting line-up was missing five regular starters: Ben White will be out “for months” after undergoing knee surgery, while Declan Rice, Thomas Partey, Kai Havertz and Gabriel Martinelli were all named on the bench, for reasons both fitness and tactical. They coped just fine.
Arsenal hadn’t tasted victory in the league since 5 October, giving Saturday a must-win feel. Martin Odegaard missed three of those four winless matches and what that streak proved more than anything else was that he is the most irreplaceable player in Arteta’s squad.
Without him pulling the strings they often resorted to attritional, direct football. A club that was once allergic to long throws and 50-50 tackles briefly resembled an expensively assembled Big Sam tribute act.
Odegaard’s return to action in the past two games has coincided with Arsenal being smoother and sleeker, more like their Wenger-era vintage.
In the two games since Odegaard’s return, fewer long balls have been pumped hopefully forward and the reliance on crosses and set-pieces has been reduced with intricate one-two’s in the vicinity of the box making a grand return.
Arsenal’s first goal was brilliantly worked. It featured two moments of individual inspiration from both goal scorer and goal creator. Bukayo Saka combined poise with power, tiptoeing his way past three in sky blue before lashing an emphatic drive into the roof of the net. Odegaard set him on his way with a clever flick of his left boot.
Throughout the contest, Odegaard frequently played the pass before the final pass leading to a shot. At the end of the first half he opened up the pitch with a nonchalant swish of the boot that left Nicolas Dominguez shaking his head in annoyance. Odegaard then located Gabriel Jesus in the box who teed up Saka to bend a shot towards the bottom corner. Only a superb Matz Sels save prevented him from adding his and Arsenal’s second.
Dominguez was the player tasked with tracking Odegaard’s movements and spent 63 minutes chasing the Arsenal captain’s shadow before Nuno Espirito Santo relieved him of a thankless task. At least the Argentine got his steps in.
Odegaard played a key role in the third goal too, finding Saka out wide before sprinting into the box and dragging Ryan Yates with him. When Thomas Partey received Saka’s square pass he had ample time to take a touch and pick his spot beyond Sels’ reach, benefiting from the space that Odegaard had created for him.
By the end of the game, Odegaard had created six of Arsenal’s 17 shooting opportunities. They simply do not possess another established player of his ilk, as his spell out of the side proved, but they do have Ethan Nwaneri.
Arsenal's Ethan Nwaneri celebrates after scoring his side's third goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Arsenal and Nottingham Forest at Emirates Stadium in London, Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024.
Arsenal’s Ethan Nwaneri celebrates after scoring his side’s third goal
Eight minutes from time with Arsenal 2-0 up and comfortable, Arteta took the chance to give Odegaard a breather, introducing the 17-year-old in his place. It was a popular change, talismanic club captain making way for the prodigious academy prospect.
In a 13-minute cameo, Nwaneri demonstrated why Arteta has such faith in his ability and why Arsenal supporters are so excited about his potential. Not since Jack Wilshere has there been such a buzz about a Hale End prospect.
Nwaneri almost scored within a few minutes of coming on with a strike that bent just the wrong side of the post, before finding the net a minute later anyway with a clinical first-time finish. He became Arsenal’s second-youngest Premier League scorer, only behind Cesc Fabregas.
Nwaneri’s growth can only be a positive for Arteta and Arsenal. Not only is he immensely talented, but his emergence can help reduce their reliance on Odegaard.
The Norwegian has been Arsenal’s marathon man since signing from Real Madrid permanently in 2021: in three 38-game Premier League seasons, he has played 36, 37 and 35 times. He has already missed more games this season than he did in the previous three combined.
Arsenal lost ground in the title race during Odegaard’s time out. Keeping him fresh will be pivotal to making it up again.
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