WE’LL USE LAST SEASON’S ‘BRUTAL’ COLLAPSE TO FIRE US UP
Odegaard’s fighting title talk
MARTIN ODEGAARD is convinced Arsenal are better equipped for a successful title challenge — thanks to the “brutal” lessons of last season’s collapse.
That is why he is equally confident the Gunners can bounce back to winning ways at Fulham this afternoon after a shock home defeat by West Ham left them two points behind leaders Liverpool.
Asked what the critical difference could be this time round, when the pressure at the top really cranks up, Odegaard suggested it will be the knowledge acquired from what happened last April and May.
Key to that is ensuring the savage pain suffered during that run-in – while blowing an eight-point lead – is transformed into consistent, positive gains throughout the current campaign.
The Gunners skipper declared: “Hopefully, we have learnt lessons from last year. It was a brutal end to the season for us.
“And now we can use these in a good way – and show we have learned and gained important, good experiences from it.”
A tad optimistic, perhaps, on the evidence of the Hammers horror show at the Emirates on Thursday?
Not according to Odegaard, who insisted nobody in N5 need hit the panic button after a first home loss, particularly as the hosts created
sufficient openings to take maximum points – let alone one.
And the fact is should they beat Fulham this afternoon, the Gunners will be top of the table when the New Year celebrations kick off.
Not the worst place to be for Mikel Arteta’s troops, given they dropped five points in five days after also drawing at Liverpool last Saturday.
Norwegian ace Odegaard, 25, said: “Yes, we’re up there. We can’t be too dragged down by one result because we’re still in a good position.
“We have to look at ourselves. Nothing else. It was one of those nights when the ball didn’t want to
go in. We created enough to win but weren’t good enough in front of the goal. It’s very frustrating.
“You have to give credit to West Ham. They defended very well. But I feel it was down to us. We needed to finish off our chances.
“We will now look to improve, make sure we’re that bit sharper in front of goal and don’t concede easy ones.”
With another London derby looming large, the north Londoners can ill afford to be downbeat too long in one of the fiercest, most competitive title scraps in memory.
It appears a four-horse race with Aston Villa and Treble winners Manchester City also in the mix.
Pep Guardiola attempted some
mind games after City’s midweek victory at Everton, warning that his champions had been written off prematurely.
Odegaard was not among their doubters. As if.
The one-time Real Madrid midfielder smiled before saying: “No, we know the quality of Man City... and all the other teams.
“We know it’s a very, very tough league. It’s the toughest in the world – no matter what team you face. But we believe in ourselves, to keep fighting, to get better.
“That’s the good thing with another game in a few days. There’s no time to be too disappointed.
“We have to be ready for Fulham and win that one.”