Who needs a striker!
Odegaard and Co prove Arsenal CAN win without a No 9
CAPTAINS come in different shapes and sizes and, while Martin Odegaard is too fresh-faced to be a warrior in the Tony Adams mould, Arsenal’s players are still happy to follow him into the trenches.
After patchy form during the first half of the season, Mikel Arteta’s side have begun 2024 with five straight league wins in which they have banged in 21 goals. Could they do it on a wet and windy afternoon in Burnley? Odegaard made sure they could by scoring the opening goal — his first in 13 games — and then controlling the tempo for the remaining 86 minutes.
Because the 25-year-old is not a serial fist-pumper, sceptics did not see him as armband material. But the Norwegian coped with a highprofile transfer to Real Madrid at the start of his career and has matured into a tough cookie.
He even celebrated his strike at Turf Moor by putting his hands to his ears, a defiant message to Jamie Carragher and others who mocked his joy following the recent win against Liverpool. Afterwards, he did not feel the need to prolong that debate, instead putting the dressing room before himself, as a skipper should.
‘We were great at West Ham last weekend and played really good again against Burnley,’ he said.
‘The mindset has to be for us to keep going. We can still improve a lot of things. I don’t feel there is a big difference in my performance levels. I’ve been playing OK for a while but goals and assists make people talk about you more.
‘Previously, the team were creating chances but not scoring.
Since the winter break, we’ve been brilliant in front of goal. We get so many people in the box.’
Arsenal are second in the table, two points behind Liverpool and above champions Manchester City, and face Porto in the Champions League last 16 on Wednesday.
‘We have to use this momentum,’ insisted Odegaard, whose passing range is approaching Kevin De Bruyne’s levels at the moment. After his cute finish had opened the floodgates, he started the move which led to Bukayo Saka putting Arsenal 2-0 up from the penalty spot shortly before half-time.
Another delicious Odegaard through ball set up Saka for No 3 soon after the restart.
Noticeably, when Arteta started to bring players off with the game effectively won, his leader remained on the pitch to prevent complacency. Sure enough, Leandro Trossard and Kai Havertz added further goals to leave Arsenal with the best goal difference in the division.
Nine different scorers have registered in the last five games, with Havertz the latest following a fine solo effort in which he nutmegged Hannes Delcroix. The German is aware outsiders were putting pressure on Arteta to sign a centre forward in January — something that seems less necessary following a successful team break in Dubai.
‘We all trust ourselves and know what quality we have,’ said Havertz. ‘Goals can come from different areas. Even defenders can score for us and stuff like that.
‘It is important we all contribute. But we need to keep focused because I know after one game if we don’t score five goals, you’re going to write we need a striker!’
Havertz will look forward to returning to Porto, the scene of his greatest triumph when he scored the winner for Chelsea in the 2021 Champions League final. ‘We go there this week to win the match, 100 per cent,’ he said. ‘These games are the most important but also the nicest to play.’
Poor Burnley are at the opposite end of the ‘moodometer’. They have lost 10 of their 13 home matches and could not lay a glove on the Gunners.
Midfielder Aaron Ramsey was also carried off with a knee injury following a challenge by Odegaard, though there was no malice from the Arsenal player who wasn’t booked. The only consolation for the Clarets is that, after facing Manchester City, Liverpool and Arsenal in quick succession, they have some kinder fixtures ahead, starting at Crystal Palace on Saturday.
They have a lot of points to make up in order to beat relegation.
‘We have a week to start to show who we are. Palace is massive,’ admitted manager Vincent Kompany, who had to endure Saturday’s nightmare from the stands as he served a touchline ban. BURNLEY (4-4-2): Trafford 5.5; Assignon 5 (Vitinho 79min), O’Shea 5, Esteve 6 (Taylor 62, 6), Delcroix 5; Ramsey 5 (Rodriguez 63, 6), Berge 6.5, Brownhill 6, Odobert 6; Amdouni 5.5 (Gudmundsson 45, 6), Fofana 5. Booked: Ramsey, Assignon. Manager: Vincent Kompany 5. ARSENAL (4-3-3): Raya 6; White 6.5 (Soares 69, 6), Gabriel 6, Saliba 6, Kiwior 6.5; ODEGAARD 9, Rice 7 (Jorginho 79), Havertz 8 (Smith Rowe 83); Saka 8.5 (Nelson 69, 6), Trossard 7 (Nketiah 69, 6), Martinelli 7. Scorers: Odegaard 4, Saka 41 (pen), 47, Trossard 66, Havertz 78. Booked: Saka. Manager: Mikel Arteta 8. Referee: Jarred Gillett 7. Attendance: 21,311.