3 – Odegaard had the Ozil gene
You’d be easily mistaken to think that this was going to be me talking up Odegaard, but unfortunately it’s quite the opposite following moments of frustration.
In the two seasons he’s been with the Arsenal, we’ve done very well to avoid comparing the £30m man to Mesut Ozil, who played a similar role in this side.
But during his first game as Arsenal’s official captain, the 23-year-old could have wrapped up the three points a lot earlier than the 85th minute.
The point I’m getting at is the Norwegian was reluctant to shoot in front of goal on more occasions than one, and instead was looking for cute passes from six yards out.
Martin Odegaard tried passing it here 😧#CRYARS pic.twitter.com/hKKQlLiKws
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) August 5, 2022
As my Grandad would say, ‘why do Arsenal always try to pass it in’ and the same could be said on Friday night where Odegaard opted to turn provider for Saka or Jesus.
Now at no point am I suggesting I’m telling these athletes how to play football, but it’s maybe just something we need to be aware of as the season goes on.