Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta must pull no punches after fresh Martin Odegaard incident
Mikel Arteta has seen his Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard take some heavy blows during the international break
Over the past few years, Mikel Arteta has certainly had no problems speaking his mind when it comes to how games are officiated.
Speaking in November 2022, he raised an important point. His young and explosive winger Bukayo Saka was persistently targeted by opponents and quite frankly, the Spaniard had had enough.
“The referees have the duties to deal with that,” Arteta said ahead of Arsenal's trip to Wolves.
“The better the players become, the bigger target they become, because people try to find ways to stop him. That is why football has very clear rules, what you can do and what you cannot do, and that is the referee’s job.”
He was right. Opposition defenders attempted to rough up the England attacker in the hope that Saka could be kicked out of the game. He would limp and trudge on but Arteta was well within his rights to call for a clampdown.
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Arteta had even referenced during the same press conference that he'd instructed his players to think more about the kind of passes they played into Saka's pathway. If they sold him short, it would invite thunderous tackles.
Now, there is also a conversation to be had about captain Martin Odegaard. He's been in sparkling and irresistible form this season following a historic World Cup with Norway in North America.
He already boasts four goals to his name across all competitions and just months after there were genuine lingering questions over his future at the Emirates, he now looks focal to Arsenal's chances of retaining the Premier League table.
However, over the course of the international break, he has been targeted. First Bernardo Silva swiped at his legs needlessly in the closing stages of Portugal's 2-1 Nations League win over Norway in Oslo.
Odegaard rarely loses his temper but on this occasion he snapped. The fallout was extensive and the backlash was fierce. Bernardo responded by claiming the tackle was just football.
The good news for Arsenal was that despite doubts over Odegaard's fitness, he was able to feature against Wales. He'd hobbled back onto the Norway team bus and was moving gingerly even upon arrival in Cardiff.
Martin Odegaard was on the end of a poor tackle from Wales' Jordan James
Then on Thursday night against Wales, Jordan James attempted to axe down the 27-year-old with another mindless challenge that saw him booked. He'd not even attempted to play the ball and did not disguise it, either.
Odegaard's reaction told its own story. This time, he did not react angrily. It was merely a show of disbelief because a pattern is now emerging. Referees need to regulate it, too.
On this occasion, he wasn't hurt but he could quite easily have been. The notion, put forward by ex-Liverpool defender Steve Nicol in the media, that Odegaard invites such challenges with his technical playing style is nonsense.
Football is a contact sport but there's a difference between a fair and good old-fashioned tackle and a clear attempt to chop down opponents and hurt them. In recent weeks, there has been too much of the latter.
If it takes Arteta to say something publicly again for the issue to be taken seriously, then that is something he should do. Players are already at risk of injury due to the jam-packed schedule. They require all the protection they can get.
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Ryan Taylor is a London-based Football Reporter who has worked across Reach's National titles since 2018. After graduating from the University of Brighton with a Sports Journalism degree, he previously climbed the ranks of the Daily Express, where he also covered boxing, before joining the Sunday Mirror as a Football Reporter in 2023. Ryan has developed a strong track record for breaking news on the London football beat.
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