Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard has now admitted where Mikel Arteta’s squad ‘have to improve’ after losing 2-0 to West Ham United in the Premier League this Thursday.
The Gunners spurned a chance to return to the top of the table following a controversial goal by Tomas Soucek. West Ham broke the deadlock in suspect conditions in the 13th minute. VAR Craig Pawson could not conclusively prove if Jarrod Bowen had kept 100% of the ball in.
Konstantinos Mavropanos (55’) would grab West Ham’s second goal at Arsenal on his return to Emirates Stadium. The defender last played in north London in April 2019, before earning his eighth and final Gunners appearance in December ‘19 on the road in the Europa League.
Arsenal set a Premier League record in their 2-0 defeat to West Ham United
Arsenal would have usurped Liverpool atop the Premier League table at the mid-way mark if they beat West Ham. Instead, Arteta’s second-placed team trail the Reds by two points after 19 games. The Gunners could also slip to fourth by the time they take on Fulham on Sunday.
The Emirates Stadium natives had their chances to score against the Irons but failed to make use of their openings. Arsenal even took 77 touches inside West Ham’s area, which was the most Opta recorded for a side that did not score in a Premier League game since 2008/09.
From Arsenal’s 77 touches inside West Ham’s box, WhoScored also recorded the Gunners as attempting 30 shots. Yet Arteta’s side only directed eight on target with 12 missing the mark and the Irons blocking 10. The Hammers directed three of their six efforts in total on target.
Martin Odegaard admits every Arsenal player must ‘improve’ their scoring records
Hale End hero Bukayo Saka also took more shots than any player, with the Arsenal academy product striking nine. The 22-year-old was also the only player to direct more than one shot on target. But he also only forced Alphonse Areola to make three saves and also hit the post.
The only Arsenal players who did not attempt a single shot were goalkeeper David Raya and Oleksandr Zinchenko, who received criticism for his performance against West Ham. Five of their 30 shots came from Leandro Trossard, while Odegaard and Gabriel Jesus struck three.
Now, Odegaard admits that every Arsenal player must improve their offensive output after losing to West Ham. Saka and Eddie Nketiah (5) are their top scorers in the Premier League so far this season. Odegaard and Kai Havertz, who was suspended this Thursday, have four.
“It’s one of those nights,” Odegaard conceded, via quotes by the Express. “We had a lot of chances but in the box, we were not good enough. We have to improve in front of the goal and it’s down to the whole team to do that.”
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