Arsenal were dealt a blow when captain Martin Odegaard picked up an ankle injury which will keep him out of action for a while.
Odegaard is one of Arsenal’s most important players, and a crucial figure in the midfield. With limited natural replacements in the squad, adapting to life without him has been difficult.
However, Mikel Arteta’s side remain unbeaten after seven games in all competitions, and they navigated tough trips to Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City without their captain.
Arsenal were seconds away from winning at City with 10 men, but they came away with an impressive point despite Leandro Trossard’s red card when stepping in for Odegaard.
Arteta’s side have been unfairly criticised in the days following the draw, but Odegaard was delighted with his teammates, and has heaped praise on Arsenal for their display at the Etihad Stadium.
Martin Odegaard praises Arsenal performance vs Man City
In his captain’s programme notes ahead of Arsenal’s clash with Leicester City, Odegaard gave his verdict on how his teammates played against Man City.
“I want to start by saying how proud I was of the whole team in our last Premier League game against Manchester City. After everything that happened during the game, we worked so hard and did so well in a really difficult situation,” he stated.
“We had a tough start to the game with the early goal we conceded, but then for the second part of the first half, we changed the game.
“We controlled everything better and took over, started to dominate them more, and took the lead. Then the red card changed the whole game, so the way we defended after that in the second half, against one of the best attacking teams in the world of the past few years, away from home, with 10 men – it was just amazing.”
Odegaard then praised the effort and commitment on display from his teammates, and admitted that the late equaliser was unlucky.
“It was unreal to watch how much effort every single one of our players put into it, an incredible performance, and we were very unlucky in the end not to hold on. It went to the last kick of the game basically, but in terms of everything that happened, I think there were a lot of strong points for us to take from it.”
Arsenal missed Martin Odegaard in Man City draw
If Odegaard was fit to start, Arsenal would likely have won at the Etihad Stadium. Trossard’s red card was frustrating, and Odegaard may not have been dismissed in a similar situation.
Arsenal defended superbly in the second half, but they did miss Odegaard’s ability to keep the ball to alleviate pressure, so even if they set up in the same way, Odegaard would have contributed a lot.
The 25-year-old may be out for another month, and Arsenal are slowly adapting to be able to play without him, but the quicker Odegaard returns, the better.
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