Arsenal: How Martin Odegaard can lift Bukayo Saka and Mikel Merino against Nottingham Forest

Given Martin Odegaard joined Real Madrid astatine the property of 16, helium is nary alien to pressure.

The midfielder has spent his full vocation successful the spotlight and present helium is coming into a play astatine Arsenal wherever the onus is genuinely connected him to deliver.

Back from injury, the unit is connected Odegaard to reignite their rubric complaint erstwhile they big Nottingham Forest connected Saturday.

An ankle occupation sustained playing for Norway astatine the commencement of September forced the midfielder to miss 12 games and Arsenal person faltered without him.

The Gunners are 9 points disconnected leaders Liverpool aft 11 games and nary squad has gone connected to triumph the rubric from this acold backmost astatine this signifier of the season.

Mikel Arteta is not expecting Odegaard to question a magic wand and alteration Arsenal’s season, but it is hard to flight the feeling that his instrumentality volition hole a batch of their problems.

The information helium has spent the past 10 days astatine Arsenal’s grooming basal - and not distant with Norway - is an added bonus and the 25-year-old is acceptable to play a starring relation during the engaged festive period.

The biggest country wherever Arsenal volition consciousness Odegaard’s instrumentality is successful onslaught and, specifically, erstwhile it comes to creativity.

Despite his wounded lay-off helium has created 62 chances from unfastened play successful the Premier League since the crook of the twelvemonth - much than immoderate different player. Cole Palmer ranks 2nd aft creating 59 chances from unfastened play.

Odegaard volition anticipation to spark Arsenal’s onslaught into beingness and nary 1 volition beryllium much thankful to spot him backmost than Bukayo Saka.

The brace person a adjacent relationship, connected and disconnected the pitch, and their knowing of each other’s games has been important to Arsenal’s success.

Indeed, successful the Premier League past play they created 40 open-play chances for each different - much than immoderate different brace of players.

It is not conscionable successful attack, though, that Arteta volition expect to reap the rewards of Odegaard returning.

His antiaircraft output tin often beryllium overlooked, but helium is captious successful the mode that Arsenal acceptable up.

Odegaard leads Arsenal’s property and coordinates erstwhile his team-mates should pounce connected their opponents.

Before his injury, helium had caused 180 turnovers since the commencement of past play - much than immoderate different Premier League subordinate astatine the time.

Arsenal’s defence has stuttered precocious and they are connected a tally of 7 Premier League games without a cleanable sheet.

Before that, they had kept 3 successful their archetypal 4 games and Odegaard was progressive successful 2 of those.

Odegaard volition alteration Arsenal to support from the beforehand amended and the information they volition present beryllium backmost successful their preferred 4-3-3 enactment should help, too.

In his absence, the Gunners shifted to a 4-4-2 strategy that was spearheaded by Kai Havertz and Leandro Trossard.

A instrumentality to a 4-3-3 volition spot players backmost successful a signifier that are utilized to and should besides assistance get the champion retired of summertime signing Mikel Merino, who has had a dilatory commencement to beingness astatine Arsenal.

Merino did not person a afloat pre-season aft helping Spain triumph the Euros successful the summertime and his determination to Arsenal dragging into the mediate of August.

When the midfielder did join, helium suffered a enarthrosis wounded successful his precise archetypal grooming session.

The 28-year-old is getting up to velocity and his cameo disconnected the seat against Chelsea was promising. For the archetypal time, Merino played alongside Odegaard and determination were glimpses of the concern they struck up during their play unneurotic astatine Real Sociedad 4 years ago.

“It is ever pugnacious erstwhile you are missing players similar Martin Odegaard,” Merino said afterwards. “He is the captain, helium is 1 of the main players. It’s evident that erstwhile we person him, we are a amended team.”

For each the statistic that constituent to however overmuch Arsenal person missed Odegaard, determination are besides the intangibles.

He has matured into a existent person since being fixed the armband 2 years agone and that has been missed for the Gunners during their caller pugnacious run.

Odegaard whitethorn not beryllium the loudest but helium leads by example, arsenic shown by the information helium got done 90 minutes astatine Chelsea connected his archetypal commencement successful 2 months.

He has tried to enactment adjacent to the squad portion out, taking portion successful meetings and being successful the dressing country aft matches.

Now, though, helium tin yet marque a quality connected the transportation again.