Arsenal summer signing is already helping unlock the best version of Martin Odegaard
Martin Odegaard looked like a different player against Manchester City on Sunday.
The double dummy to sit down Donnarumma before rolling in Arsenal’s third goal. The cheeky nutmeg on Elliot Anderson. The hooked cross to the back post in the build-up to the second goal.
No Arsenal player completed more passes, more dribbles or won possession more times than him against City.
This was the Odegaard of 2022-23, the one who scored 15 Premier League goals and was arguably the best midfielder in the country.
After two injury-ravaged seasons in which he played just 34.5 and 68 per cent of Arsenal’s minutes respectively, he looked reborn.
Norway gave him back his confidence during the World Cup. But there is another factor, one that Odegaard himself has been keen to highlight: Bruno Guimaraes.
How Bruno Guimaraes unlocks the best of Martin Odegaard
“Since the first day he came in, it has been such a natural thing,” Odegaard said after the Community Shield. “He can win the ball, he’s a fighter, but he also has so much quality on the ball.
“He is so calm. He always takes the right amount of time and he finds the pass. It’s brilliant.
“From the first second he is in training, you can feel that presence and quality.”
Odegaard is often viewed as Arsenal’s main creator, but it helps when that player is receiving a steadier supply of passes himself.
Last season, the skipper was often the first receiver from defensive areas, and carried the creative burden almost entirely on his own. That’s a lot of responsibility.
With Guimaraes alongside him, that burden is shared. The Brazilian’s ability to receive under pressure, play forward quickly and find teammates in tight spaces means Odegaard gets the ball in better positions, with more time, and with more options around him.
Together with Myles Lewis-Skelly, the midfield trio rotated wonderfully against City. They were fluid, interchangeable, and always in close proximity.
One particularly impressive move of successive vertical passes between the three almost created another opening for Kai Havertz in the first half.
If Arsenal can keep Odegaard fit this season, hopefully we will see the very best version of him.
The players around him have changed. And already, after just one competitive game, the difference is noticeable.
