Odegaard highlights one key area Arsenal must improve in for Spurs clash

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Despite beating PSV Eindhoven 4-0 on Wednesday, Martin Odegaard is adamant that Arsenal need to improve. 

Arsenal kicked off their first Champions League campaign for six years in spectacular fashion against PSV Eindhoven on Wednesday evening. Bukayo Saka, Leandro Trossard, Gabriel Jesus, and Martin Odegaard all found the back of the net on a brilliant evening for the north London club.

Odegaard was once again in fine form and was named man of the match. After the game, Michael Owen said the 24-year-old was “sensational.” However, Odegaard himself wasn’t entirely satisfied with the performance overall.

Speaking after the match, the 53-cap Norway international said, “I think there were a lot of things we could have done better. I think without the ball, we let them run too many times and gave them a lot of space, especially in the first half…We have to take the good things and learn from the things we could have done better,” as quoted by the club’s official website.

Mikel Arteta will greatly appreciate Odegaard’s mentality and attitude towards continually seeking to get better. It is another example of why the £115,000-a-week midfielder is the perfect choice to be the Gunners’ club captain. 

Arsenal need to step up again

Arsenal will need to learn their lessons from this match quickly. They are hosting the north London derby at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday, and Tottenham Hotspur will be far less forgiving of any Arsenal sloppiness than PSV were.

Arteta will demand more energy in the middle of the park, and more intense pressing, against Spurs. Odegaard will echo that message on the pitch, directing and organising his teammates throughout the game has he typically does.

Despite being unbeaten so far this season, Arsenal are yet to really hit top gear. Against PSV is the closest they’ve come so far, which suggests they’re heading in the right direction. They will need to produce a truly excellent performance to get the win they’ll desperately want on Sunday, though. If they are successful against Spurs, Odegaard is likely to have be at the heart of it.