Arsenal fans are excited to watch their favourite players back in action in the North London derby next week.
But the Gooners are also expecting their superstars to return from the international break unscathed.
Injuries during this period can have a major consequence in their pursuit of collecting all three points vs. Tottenh*m Hotsp*r.
Mikel Arteta’s side dropped valuable points against Brighton and Hove Albion. But they also faced an injury scare when their captain Martin Ødegaard suffered a knock after a challenge by winger Yankuba Minteh.
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Although he continued to play in the second half, it had an impact on his performance. The manager decided to bring in Gabriel Martinelli as his replacement in the 73rd minute.
The 25-year-old seemed to shake off his injury and returned to Norway’s squad for their Nations League clash against Kazakhstan in Almaty.
Norwegian media target Odegaard
🇳🇴Ø vs Kazakhs
Magic feet 🧙♂️pic.twitter.com/sEzJgiasIY https://t.co/wVtS3DLogT
— 🇳🇴 kimmoFC (@kimmoFC) September 6, 2024
The midfielder played for the full 90 minutes and helped his side create more chances in attack. But he was unable to break the deadlock as the game ended in a 0-0 scoreline.
Norwegian media provided a not-so-pleasing review about the Arsenal star in their post-match reports.
NRK weren’t impressed by the extra load on their star player and gave him a 5/10 rating. They wrote:
‘He takes an enormous amount of responsibility. Too much responsibility? Danced around with a couple of opponents at times, but wished he was more involved closer to the opposition’s goal. Enormously involved and very active throughout the match, a lot almost.’
Similarly, Dagbladet gave a 5/10 rating, stating:
‘Was furious when he didn’t get the ball at the end of the first half. He had the ball a lot, but he didn’t get to the top level either.’
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However, Nettavisen were impressed by Ødegaard and called him their man of the match. They wrote:
‘Norway’s captain with a relatively good international match. Stepped on the ball, pulled off Kazakh players and occasionally dictated the game without Norway being able to create too much against the hosts.‘
Martin Ødegaard vs. Kazakhstan 🇳🇴
• Most dribbles (8) in the match
• Has won the most duels (15) in the match
• The most fouled player in the match (5)
• 89% accurate passes
• 107 touches
• 4 key passes
• 8.6 rating & POTM pic.twitter.com/0NkvixVaHA— PrimeOdegaard (@Odegaard012) September 6, 2024
The former Real Madrid star has set a very high bar for himself, and anything below that seems average. Although he made good choices upfront, his fitness issues continued to hamper him on Friday.
Is Odegaard injured again?
Norway head coach Stale Solbakken provided a worrying injury update on the Gunner’s captain after he picked yet another knock while on international duty.
As per the manager, this bang is different from the knee injury he suffered against the Seagulls last weekend. After the match against Kazakhstan, he said:
“I don’t think that [the Brighton knock] is what it is.I think it’s another bang, I was about to say. I think it is something other than the bang, so to speak.”
Arsenal would be hoping that Norway takes good care of their captain and he returns to London Colney fully fit. Mikel Arteta has more than a week to work on Ødegaard’s fitness. But at this moment, it is important that he stays away from any serious injury.
The North London outfit are already without Declan Rice for the clash against Spurs. Missing another key midfielder will be disastrous for them. Important points are at stake here.
