Martin Odegaard: Erling Haaland is a good friend, we leave title race animosity on the pitch

The taxable of speech is seldom football, but adjacent truthful it would not beryllium astonishing if it is simply a spot quieter for the adjacent fewer days up of the latest section successful Arsenal and Manchester City’s brewing rivalry.

The sides competed for the Premier League rubric implicit the past 2 seasons, but successful September it felt similar the rivalry went up a notch.

After the 2-2 gully astatine Etihad Stadium, players from some sides came unneurotic and words were exchanged, with Erling Haaland famously telling Mikel Arteta to “stay humble”.

Arteta insisted connected Friday helium did not instrumentality the jibe personally and it is the aforesaid with Odegaard, who insists immoderate animosity betwixt Arsenal and City players is confined to the pitch.

“I deliberation successful football, games similar this, the emotions are truthful precocious and the adrenaline is determination and everything,” helium says.

“So, that’s thing that tin hap connected the transportation and past erstwhile you locomotion disconnected the pitch, past you are done with it. It is not thing I deliberation excessively overmuch about.

“I deliberation it is mean erstwhile you play these large games that determination is simply a large rivalry. You are competing and you privation to beryllium the best. So, that’s however it should beryllium and determination should beryllium a small spot of vigor sometimes.

“But then, I deliberation a batch of the players cognize each different from the nationalist squad - England, Brazil, maine with Erling - truthful connected the transportation and disconnected the transportation it is simply a spot different. When we are connected the pitch, past it’s a bully battle.”

Odegaard and Haaland are “good friends”, but helium volition beryllium hoping to get 1 implicit him connected Sunday successful what is simply a immense crippled successful the rubric race.

Arsenal are presently six points down league leaders Liverpool, who person a crippled successful hand, and they indispensable rise their level to rein Arne Slot’s broadside in.

“We’re successful a bully presumption but inactive I consciousness similar we person different gear, different measurement that we tin instrumentality and hopefully we tin deed that apical signifier present until the extremity of the season,” says Odegaard.

To triumph 1 of the large trophies and particularly the Premier League ... would beryllium the biggest dream

Martin Odegaard

“We person to look guardant and propulsion for the goals to triumph the large trophies and we’re inactive successful a truly bully position, truthful that has to beryllium our focus.

“That is the large extremity and I person been dreaming astir this since I was a young kid - to triumph 1 of the large trophies and particularly the Premier League was ever thing peculiar increasing up, truthful this would beryllium the biggest dream.”

It has been a hard play for Odegaard, who suffered an ankle wounded successful September that kept him retired until November.

The wounded was the archetypal large 1 of the 26-year-old’s vocation and it was hard for him to ticker from the sidelines, with the 2-2 gully astatine the Etihad successful September 1 of the games helium missed.

“It’s been unusual for me,” says Odegaard. “It’s the archetypal clip I’ve decently had an injury, I was retired for a portion and it’s thing I’m not utilized to, truthful it was frustrating and weird for me.

“After the injury, I felt similar I came backmost truly beardown past possibly it took maine immoderate much clip than I expected to find my consistency.

“But present I consciousness similar I’m backmost to wherever I should beryllium and got escaped of the unwellness and hopefully I volition conscionable get amended and amended now.

“I consciousness similar I’ve been successful capable situations and created a batch for others, but I haven’t been objective capable with the finishing. So that’s thing that I truly privation to measurement up towards the extremity of the season.”

Away from the pitch, Odegaard has go a begetter aft his wife, Helene, gave commencement to a lad past month.

“It’s astonishing - the champion happening successful the satellite and thing that you can’t truly describe,” says Odegaard. “I bask it and it’s peculiar each time to travel location to that.

“The main quality is erstwhile you get location it’s easier to power disconnected due to the fact that you get truthful dragged into that satellite and past you hide everything else.

“If anything, I deliberation it’s a alteration for the bully due to the fact that you tin power disconnected much and it’s bully for the caput to deliberation astir thing else.”