Martin Odegaard returned to the side and put in a man of the match performance for Arsenal as they defeated Olympiacos 2-0 in the Champions League on Wednesday night
Martin Odegaard admitted that the increased squad depth at Arsenal this season inspired his performance against Olympiacos. The Gunners made it back-to-back wins in the Champions League on Wednesday night and there was no doubt who the star of the show was.
Odegaard came back into the starting line-up after struggling with a shoulder injury and was instrumental in Arsenal’s 2-0 win. It was his through ball which sent Viktor Gyokeres in on goal and led to Gabriel Martinelli tapping in the opener, and the Norwegian set up Bukayo Saka’s goal in injury time too.
The Arsenal captain was on fire in attacking midfield, playing several brilliant passes into the forward line. He started as Mikel Arteta made six changes, with Saka, Eberechi Eze and Declan Rice among the substitutes to come off the bench.
Odegaard was deservedly named man of the match and he was asked after the full-time whistle by former Arsenal defender Martin Keown on TNT Sports whether the presence of £67.5million summer signing Eze helped push him on.
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He replied: “I think the quality and the depth and we have so many players who can play so it’s just a feeling from every single player now on the pitch, you want to prove that you deserve it, you want to keep your spot. I think that’s good for us, that competitiveness and the competition in the squad.”
Odegaard came off the bench and sent in the corner which Gabriel Magalhaes scored from in the 2-1 win over Newcastle at St James’ Park on Sunday, but he was making his first start in five games on Wednesday night. “It was nice to be back. I have missed it and I felt good, and it was a good win,” he said.
And asked about Arsenal’s desire to break the lines and get the ball forward quickly, Odegaard added: “We work on that [the fluidity] a lot, we want to create a lot. We know the quality we have in the team and how solid we are defensively so if we can create those chances and flow, it is always going to be good.
“That is what I want to do, especially with those forward players, especially with Viktor who is so aggressive and always a threat. That is my job, to create things for them. I could have had a few more assists, but we got the win and I enjoyed it.”
Odegaard should have capped off his performance with a goal of his own, but Olympiacos goalkeeper Konstantinos Tzolakis saved his effort from Saka’s cross before his rebound was blocked at point-blank range.
Arsenal’s squad depth was obvious on the night, with Martinelli and Leandro Trossard replaced by Eze and Saka, while Rice came on for Mikel Merino, Jurrien Timber for Ben White and Cristhian Mosquera for the injured Gabriel.
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