The Arsenal captain writes to fans before every League game to uplift the morale and set the mood straight. Martin Odegaard suffered an injury during the last international break while playing for Norway in a 2-1 win over Austria. This has kept him out for over a month. Arsenal in the meantime have played well even without their captain. Still going unbeaten, The Gunners are set up for another battle with Manchester City and Liverpool for the Premier League title.
Before the match against Southhampton, Martin Odegaard in his latest post, talked about how his rehab is going, the freekick against Paris Saint Germain, and seeing an old friend again.
Martin Odegaard on his rehab
The Norwegian midfielder shared some good news. Martin Odegaard wrote that his rehab is going better than initially imagined. He isn’t back on training pitches but is getting better and looking at the recovery progress one day at a time. The plan is to rehab during the current international break and get back to full fitness. A video was posted by the club recently, Odegaard was seen running on an anti-gravity Treadmill. He looks eager to get back.
The team is missing their leader. He is the focal point of the attack in this team. Most of the offensive opportunities are created by him. Playing the ball that leads to the assist so many times, he can see and play passes into areas nobody else would imagine. His vision is as good as anyone, in the same category as KDB or Palmer. The role he plays for the team, cannot be replicated by any other player at Arsenal. Arteta’s men have shown that they can win games without him but if the goal is to win the league or the UCL, then they will need Martin Odegaard back.
The direct freekick against PSG and Aaron Ramsdale
Arsenal secured a fantastic victory against the French champions in the first home game of the UCL season. The performance against Paris Saint Germain in the first half was a statement. The best that they have looked this year. Yes, PSG are not the same team anymore, but they are still a force to be reckoned with. They have quality players all over the pitch. Making a Luis Enrique team look like fools is not something you see daily. Brilliant attacking in the first half and disciplined defending in the second half meant that Arsenal won the game comfortably in the end. Not for a single minute in the entire ninety did the Parisians look comfortable. They got absolutely battered at the Emirates by the home side.
Martin Odegaard also echoed some of what I just wrote, he talked about the fact that Arsenal have scored a direct freekick after a long time. Make no mistake, Arsenal are the scariest team to defend in a set piece but scoring directly is not the go-to option for them. Odegaard said that the group had talked about this and were happy to finally score directly after the last one came by Odegaard himself, a few seasons back.
Martin also wrote about seeing his old teammate again, Aaron Ramsdale. He was a loved figure at the club and Odegaard said that he has great memories with the goalkeeper and he was a big character in the dressing room during his time at the club.
Arsenal have not let early injuries hamper their start to the campaign. In the last few seasons, The Gunners have failed to create clear scoring chances without Odegaard. The story is different this time, his teammates have stepped up in his absence and delivered when needed. This shows how far the rebuild has come under Mikel Arteta.
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