Depending on who you ask, some Arsenal fans will confess that club and country captain Martin Odegaard is having a disappointing season at the Emirates Stadium.
Harp back to September and all associated with Arsenal were pleading for Odegaard to return from a troubling ankle issue – Mikel Arteta’s side were missing their creator and presser in chief.
However, the Norwegian’s form has fluctuated in the months since, and Arsenal’s number eight is arguably missing playing alongside both Bukayo Saka and Kai Havertz.
Odegaard played in close proximity to Saka on the right and the Englishman seemed to get the best out of the former Real Madrid star, who will face his old side in a two-legged Champions League showdown next month.
Martin Odegaard praised for underrated side of his game for Norway
That being said, it will be reassuring to learn that Odegaard was on top form for his country Norway in their 5-0 win over Moldova on Saturday.
Norway navigated their World Cup qualifier with ease and Odegaard provided the assist for Alexander Sortloth’s goal, which put the visitors 4-0 up.
And although the win was against fairly low-ranking opposition, Norway’s media delivered some exciting reviews of Odegaard’s performance, suggesting that he was back to his best.
Handing Odegaard a 8/10 rating, Dagbladet simply wrote: “What a game! He was devastating with his ball control, passes and corners. What he did was sometimes sickening” – presumably in a positive way.
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NRK provided a slightly longer review, also handing the Arsenal captain an 8/10 rating for his display.
The outlet gave Odegaard the Man of the Match award and actually praised his efforts in Norway’s recoveries without the ball – something that is seldom highlighted under Arteta.
NRK wrote: “Good and important in the recovery phase – mobile and always available. Excellent pre-assist before 2-0.
“Showed at times that he was on a completely different level with the ball at his feet than most out there, which ensured that the players from Moldova just kicked him down.
“World-class spatial understanding means that he is often available in the right place at the right time.
“Assisted on a corner kick to make it 4-0. Overconfident inside his own box after 55 minutes, but saved by Nyland.
“Brilliant involvement also in the build-up before 5-0. All in all, a pleasure to watch play football, and the best player on the pitch.”
Martin Odegaard’s poor goalscoring record for Norway
Fortunately for fans in N17, Odegaard is planning to stay at Arsenal for a long time, a captain who’s determined to win major honours with the Gunners.
Of course, Odegaard thinks Arsenal can win the Champions League this season, presumably therefore concluding that Real can be beaten, even without a striker.
And whilst the Arsenal captain has often excelled for Norway in his 62 caps, he does have a relatively poor goal record for his country, at least in comparison to his club numbers.
| Games | Goals | Goals per game | |
| Norway | 62 | 3 | 0.05 |
| Arsenal | 185 | 40 | 0.22 |
Perhaps when Odegaard plays alongside Erling Haaland he does just feel as if the emphasis is on his creativity, rather than seeking goals.
But it’s a peculiar record for a player of his standards, who still leads brilliantly for his country regardless.
