Mikel Arteta was full of praise for Martin Odegaard as the Norwegian produced a man-of-the-match performance to engineer Arsenal’s 3-1 win over West Ham United.
Not only did the 23-year-old leave the pitch with two assists to his name – admittedly, one more fortunate than the other – he somehow found the energy to sprinkle a dash of showboating on a performance rooted in defensive discipline.
“Top performance,” said Arteta in his post-game press conference. “You’ll look at everything that he did with the ball but also without the ball as well. Chapeau!
“The way he guided the team in many moments, the way he pressed in the way we played today, he had a real impact.”
Having not played a competitive match since early November, Odegaard played with a hunger that suggested his mid-season break had been put to good use.
The midfielder registered his first assist of the match when a shot fortuitously fell into Bukayo Saka’s path and he later picked out Eddie Nketiah with a deft pass that allowed the striker to spin on a sixpence before driving home.
“I felt good today,” Odegaard told Arsenal.com. “I think the whole team was good. I had some more rest than other players, not being in the World Cup. So I think I’ve used that in a good way and I felt good.
He added: “We’ve had a few players in the World Cup, but the ones who have been here have been working so hard. We had a really great camp in Dubai, some good games there and hard work really.
“I think everyone is hungry to come back and prove that we’re good enough to be where we are. So hard work and a lot of commitment to the club.”
He scores goals my Lord
O..de..gard
He loves Arsenal my Lord
o..de..gard
He hates spurs my Lord
O.de..gard
Oh..lord
Odegard
That’ll have to do haha.
Love this man!
Now, seriously, the Saka goal: was Odegard intentionally passed to Saka or was it a miskick?
Pass: thumb up
Miskick: thumb down
Ødegård said to norwegian tv that he was tempted to claim it a pass, but it was not a pass 😉
Captain fantastic.
World class today. Team needed a lift and he was a driving force! This is a huge win, just massive. Dropped points would have been a real gut punch, but this sends a signal.
My Captain…..MARTINNNNNNNNNN ODEGARDDDDDDDDDDDDDD
I love this man.
Sakartinketiaard
I wrote this 18 months ago – and ArtetaOut haters chortled with derision:
‘Watch this space lads… Marting Odegaard – next club captain. Future Arsenal legend.
The haters are – happily – back in their slime-ridden holes… and Ode the Viking strides majestically onwards.
Fair play dude… but you had 18 months to sort the typo.. 18 months!
Ouch!
Interesting though, how the likes of Santori and so many others of the hating ilk have just disappeared (not that we miss them!).
Were they never really Gooners? Did they hate Arteta so much that they’d abandon their team rather than be proved wrong?
They couldn’t all have just been Spud trolls, surely?
(Although Spud fans don’t really have much else to do these days. mwuhahahahahaaaaaa!)
I and others in my family have disowned and denounced Santori for his false Arsenal cheer.
Hail, Arteta!
But there’s that other Viking in our rear view mirror…
So what did you write when we signed Ramsdale???
Our very own Captain Fantastic 👏
Agree, some of those touches were just Bergkamp ❤