The worldwide break was imagined to be a reset for Arsenal, who drew its final Premier League match after Declan Rice was despatched off with a purple card.
As an alternative, the break introduced the Gunners extra nervousness as they watched their Norwegian captain Martin Odegaard limp off the sphere with an ankle harm throughout a UEFA Nation’s League match in opposition to Austria on Monday evening.
Norway’s team doctors are optimistic that the ankle is just not damaged however concede Odegaard may miss a number of weeks. The harm comes as Arsenal approaches a gauntlet on its schedule.
A skinny Arsenal squad will face off with London rival Tottenham on Sunday. Fellow midfielder Rice will miss the North London Derby as a consequence of suspension for his purple card final match whereas new signing Mikel Merino has but to make his debut for the membership as he rehabs a shoulder harm. Arsenal’s depth can be examined in opposition to a cohesive, harmful Tottenham midfield.
Then, on Thursday, Sept. 19, Arsenal will journey to face Atalanta — winners of final season’s Europa League — in its first UEFA Champions League match. This recreation ought to set the tone for the squad’s European run.
Sunday, Sept. 22, figures to be important, too, because the Premier League desk begins to take form and Arsenal heads to Manchester Metropolis — present chief and final season’s champion. Final season, the matches between the 2 sides proved the distinction within the title race. Arsenal drew its final match with Man Metropolis and misplaced the title by two factors.
When a 10-man Arsenal membership drew with Brighton at house in its final Premier League outing, the Gunners fell two factors behind Man Metropolis and Liverpool on the prime of the desk. The London membership wants its captain to play catch-up.
When Odegaard doesn’t begin for Arsenal, it impacts not solely the workforce’s capacity to attain but additionally the workforce’s capacity to win. Arsenal scores over two targets per recreation and wins 66% of their Premier League video games when Odegaard begins, however solely rating 1.6 targets per recreation and win 53% of video games when he doesn’t, per data from the Premier League.
Since Odegaard’s debut for the membership in 2021, he leads Arsenal in probabilities created and anticipated assists. The Gunners turned true title contenders for the primary time since 2016 when the Norwegian joined.
Odegaard’s measurable influence is why followers are annoyed together with his harm. The membership’s Premier League title chase and Champions League efficiency could possibly be prone to endure as a consequence of a world match sandwiched into the Gunners’ marketing campaign.