Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard is relying on advanced technology to improve his game.
The Norwegian, when he is fit and firing, is one of the best attacking midfielders in the world, and he has been excellent under Mikel Arteta more often than not over the years.
Since the start of the 2025/26 season, however, Odegaard has had multiple injury issues and has had to spend a lot of time on the sidelines.
During that time, he made use of Virtual Reality (VR) goggles to get up to speed, and he even ‘completed’ it. Now, he has sought a tougher challenge.
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Arsenal star Martin Odegaard uses VR technology at 120 per cent speed to get better
Martin Odegaard plays in one of the most difficult positions on the pitch at Arsenal.
Every team’s attacking midfielder is the creative force of the side, and opponents usually try to do everything they can to stop them from having an impact in the final third.
That means players who play in that position barely have any time on the ball. They are pressed by at least one opponent every time they receive possession.
To make sure he was up to speed when he was injured, Odegaard employed the services of Be Your Best, a virtual reality company in which Chelsea midfielder Romeo Lavia has invested.
The company uses ‘virtual reality and cognitive science to help players train their decision-making, scanning, and game intelligence.’
Players wear VR goggles while using the technology, and according to the company’s CEO Andreas Olsen, Odegaard completed it at 100 per cent speed when he was injured.
Since then, the Arsenal captain requested to up the speed to 120 per cent, because 100 per cent felt too slow for him as that is the normal pace of the game.
Olsen told TalkSPORT: “He maxed out the 100 per cent speed. For him, it just felt normal because 100 per cent speed is the speed of the game that we actually get that situation from.
“And so what he wanted since he was injured, when he used it for the first time, he wanted to train even faster. So that when he came out on the pitch after the injury, things moved a bit slower, so that he could have more time with the ball, more perceived time with the ball.”
The technology may well have helped Odegaard, as when he returned from his most recent injury against Tottenham on Sunday, he assisted Viktor Gyokeres’ second goal.
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Martin Odegaard has to step up at Arsenal
Odegaard has had a torrid season due to injuries.
The Norway international suffered two shoulder injuries in back-to-back games and then hurt his knee. In the game against Brentford, he suffered another knee injury that kept him out.
Odegaard is fit now and looked good when he came on in the North London Derby. He needs to get back to his absolute best now, especially after Eberechi Eze returned to form.
Furthermore, Arsenal need all the help they can get from their attacking players as they enter the business end of the season with the aim of winning all four competitions.
For that to happen, they need their captain to step up. Hopefully, the VR work he has been doing will help him get to his best level.
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