Arsenal have had to cope without the services of club captain Martin Odegaard in recent weeks.
Martin Odegaard is one of, if not the, most important players in Mikel Arteta’s squad.
The Norwegian playmaker was always going to be a big miss for Arsenal. Odegaard picked up an injury whilst on international duty in early September.
He has since missed out on fixtures against Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester City, and Leicester City in the Premier League, and Atalanta and PSG in the Champions League, as well as an EFL Cup clash with Bolton Wanderers.
Despite the 25-year-old being such an influential figure for the Gunners, the North London club have come through this run of games without him unbeaten, and have turned in a number of impressive performance.
Leandro Trossard, in particular, has stepped up in the skipper’s absence, taking up his central role just behind the striker. Trossard has combined effectively with Kai Havertz, has pressed intensely, and chipped in with goals of his own.
All in all, whilst Odegaard’s return will be hugely welcome, his absence has not led to any kind of disaster for Arsenal.
What Arsenal learned during Martin Odegaard absence
Journalist Julien Laurens, speaking on talkSPORT’s Inside Gooners podcast, is convinced that Arteta will take heart from how well his side coped without the former Real Madrid midfielder.
He said: “It’s not a coincidence that Gabriel Martinelli has been much better since Odegaard got injured. Because when Odegaard is there, and Bukayo Saka, two of Arsenal’s best players really, the tendency is to play on the right all the time because you find Martin and then he finds Saka.
“Martinelli, I think, and the guys on the left-hand side, are left a little like, ‘okay, what about us?’ Now there’s no Odegaard, I think we’re spreading far more how we attack and where we attack.
“The Calafiori presence behind Martinelli has been important too, that’s why Gabi has been so good… So Odegaard, amazing player, captain, leads by example, everything you want, great. But you also know that there is life without him, too, which we were not so sure of weeks ago.”
Gabriel Martinelli given new lease of life
Gabriel Martinelli ended his lengthy goal drought against Leicester, and now looks to be playing with renewed confidence.
It is vital that the Brazilian winger is able to maintain this positive momentum even once Odegaard has been restored to the starting XI.
As suggested by Laurens, Riccardo Calafiori will have a big part to play in that. Calafiori has impressed Arsenal fans since his arrival from Bologna in the recent summer transfer window, and the Italian left-back looks to have quickly struck up a relationship with Martinelli.
Mikel Merino was able to make his Arsenal debut against PSG, and his return to fitness also bodes well for Martinelli. Arteta will be hoping that the Spanish midfielder can provide the kind of service for Martinelli that Bukayo Saka thrives on from Odegaard.
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