Arsenal have been dealt yet another serious blow to their Premier League title chances over the weekend following defeat to West Ham.
The Gunners went into the game knowing three points would put pressure back onto league leaders Liverpool – who take on Manchester City later on Sunday.
With Mikel Arteta facing the prospect of no recognised centre-forward once again, he opted for Mikel Merino after his brace against Leicester City as the option to go for.
It wasn’t an easy afternoon for him or any of the forward line as they struggled to create many clear-cut chances – despite 20 shots at goal.
In the end, it was Arsenal who were countered as Aaron Wan-Bissaka’s cross fell to Jarrod Bowen, who finished the effort from close range.
In the aftermath of such a frustrating game, questions arose about Martin Odegaard and one baffling decision he made.
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Arsenal fans fume over Martin Odegaard moment against West Ham
The Arsenal forward line have struggled without the usual quality available, which means more responsibility has fallen to the feet of Martin Odegaard.
The Arsenal captain has been a creative force at times this campaign, but his lack of goals himself in front of goal has been a concern.
That becomes more evident in games where the Gunners need someone to break the deadlock or to claw the side back into it.
In the defeat to West Ham, Odegaard came under fire as for one counterattack, he appeared to avoid the chance to run into space in the middle for a potential cross, instead moving to the back post and marking himself out of action.
The chance fizzled out into nothing but brought about questions from the fanbase over the captain’s levels in front of the goal.
“This is definitely not a good look from Odegaard here. Ran and marked himself out the play,” one fan said on social media.
“I think he’s hoping for a back post cross like the one for Merino against Leicester but it just makes absolutely no sense,” another supporter said.
The frustration continued as supporters said: “Martin Odegaard hiding in-front of our very own eyes, if this team is to go places, a serious decision has to be made by Arteta.”
“Odegaard………always goes hiding when needed the most,” another claimed.
There were some, though, who looked to defend Odegaard and claimed that he did stand up but without it working for the side.
“So apparently Odegaard is the goto scapegoat now that it can’t be Havertz,” one fan said. “Sure, he’s not at his best. Do people never learn finger pointing and targeting a player never works out for the player? Hiding behind ‘I have right to criticise’, ‘I have high standards’ to spew abuse.”
Another fan added: “You can fault Odegaard for a lot of things but not for hiding!”
In general, though, it perhaps shows the frustration Arsenal face in the coming weeks without their usual forward line available.
The Gunners are crying out for someone to step up and become the saviour in a season that threatens to fizzle out.
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Martin Odegaard needs help at Arsenal
There’s no denying that Odegaard needs to do more in front of goal, with the attacking playmaker scoring just twice this season in the Premier League.
The 26-year-old needs more help though, not least when it comes to having chances he creates finished off.
Odegaard made four key passes and while his crossing accuracy was questionable, perhaps having that striker finish off those opportunities will help unlock him and the others.
It underlines the next stage of this Arsenal side, but one that will have to come in the summer rather than over the coming weeks of the season.
For Arteta, it’s an opportunity to see where else his side needs strengthening if they are to become real winners.
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