Saturday was a real hammer blow for Arsenal’s season.
Mikel Arteta’s side fell to a 1-0 defeat to West Ham United at the Emirates, and while there are still a few months of the campaign to go, it sure feels like their Premier League ambitions are all but over.
It was a dismal showing from the men in red and white, and it has understandably shaken the belief some sections of the fanbase have in their manager and captain, Martin Odegaard.
For the last couple of years, the Norwegian maestro has led the side brilliantly, but so far this season, it’s starting to feel like he could follow in the footsteps of those who buckled under the pressure of the armband, like Granit Xhaka and Pierre Emerick Aubameyang.
If that really is the case, then it might be time for Arteta to consider dropping the 26-year-old, especially as he already has another tremendously exciting ace who could realistically take his place.
Odegaard's worrying regression
Across 45 appearances for Arsenal in the 22/23 campaign, Odegaard was a force of nature, scoring 15 goals, providing seven assists and eventually being named the club’s Player of the Year.
The following campaign saw the former Real Madrid wonderkid continue his fine form, as while he only scored 11 goals, he also provided 11 assists in 48 games and was once again named the club’s Player of the Year.
So, there was an entirely understandable and reasonable expectation from fans and pundits alike that he’d be just as effective this year. After all, he told the fans at the end of last season that the squad had “changed the club.”
Appearances
45
48
27
Minutes
3404′
4053′
2123′
Goals
15
11
3
Assists
7
11
6
Goal Involvements per Match
0.48
0.45
0.33
Minutes per Goal Involvement
154.72′
184.22
235.88′
Unfortunately, that has not been the case, as in 27 appearances so far, the midfield maestro has only been able to score three goals and provide six assists, which means he’s gone from averaging a goal involvement every 2.04 games two years ago and 2.18 games last season to every three games this year.
On top of that, his inability to impact must-win games like the 0-0 draw with Everton before Christmas and Saturday’s defeat to West Ham leads to only more frustration from fans.
In all, the Drammen-born international has just not been good enough this year, and following the weekend’s dismal display, the manager wouldn’t be out of line to take him out of the starting lineup, especially when there is someone in the squad who might be able to make more of an impact from that position.
The Arsenal ace who could replace Odegaard
The unfortunate reality is that, as things stand, there are not many players in the squad who could come in and replace Odegaard as the chief creator in midfield, aside from Ethan Nwaneri.
The 17-year-old phenomenon has been playing off the right for the last few games and has looked reasonably impressive, but across his time with the youth teams, his most played position was attacking midfield.
The Enfield-born gem has made 42 appearances in that position across the junior sides and the first team in the last few years and has a record of 19 goals and seven assists in those appearances, which comes to an average of a goal involvement every 1.61 games.
Attacking Midfield
42
19
7
Right-Wing
14
3
1
Centre-Forward
9
11
2
Central Midfield
2
1
0
Left-Wing
1
0
1
On top of having the experience of playing in the middle of the park and pulling the strings, the “incredible” prospect, as dubbed by talent scout Jacek Kulig, has also already demonstrated that he is not scared of taking on senior players or trying to assert himself in tough games, which is what the team need at the moment.
Moreover, he’s already racked up a tally of seven goals and one assist in 25 first-team appearances this season, totalling 871 minutes, which comes out to an average of a goal involvement every 3.12 games, or more impressively, every 108.87 minutes.
Ultimately, while Odegaard’s influence over the team and games has shrunk this season, Nwaneri’s is only growing.
So, with there not being much more to play for, at least domestically, it might be a good idea to take the captain out of the limelight and give the Hale End gem the chance to start more games in the middle of the park. Who knows, he might be just what Arsenal need at the moment.
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