The very last thing a workforce chasing the title needs is to lose a key midfielder. A lacking key defender can typically be coated by his team-mates and collective organisation, taking part in with out a star ahead means you is likely to be crying out for the odd second of magic (or another person to step up when the possibility comes) however you possibly can nonetheless look to dominate from again to entrance.
Not a lot with out your greatest midfielder. The participant who makes the press attainable and organises the workforce with out the ball, the participant who makes the whole lot tick with the ball, whether or not by dropping deep to get issues going, stitching strikes by means of the thirds, or arriving on an opportunity on the sting of the field.
Take out arguably your most necessary and most irreplaceable participant, if not your greatest, and issues can shortly disintegrate. With a much less efficient press, you get performed by means of, so that you drop deeper. Your play in possession will get sloppier so that you get hit on the break extra otherwise you flip the ball over nearer to your purpose extra typically. When you’re within the ultimate third and also you do create possibilities, they’re rarer than earlier than; you’d higher take the possibilities you do get, in any other case you’ll most likely find yourself paying for it.
An absence of alternate options as a result of different accidents or suspensions means the identical gamers are taking part in each recreation as you attempt to get by. Fatigue will set in ultimately. Even when the gamers being requested to play each few days do keep match, performances are more likely to take successful because the minutes add up and new roles, new relationships, new tasks all want a while to click on.
And it may possibly occur to anybody, at any second.
“If we don’t win, it’s as a result of we miss Rodri,” Pep Guardiola mentioned again in late September. I’m clearly referring to Martin Odegaard and the affect his absence has had on Arsenal however all the above may very simply have been written about that midfielder and that workforce.
Mikel Arteta may not need to say it however I’ll: within the absence of the captain, if Arsenal don’t win, it’s as a result of they miss Odegaard.
Fortunately for Arsenal followers, that’s one thing that hasn’t actually been an issue over the previous few seasons. The Norwegian began 104 of Arsenal’s earlier 114 Premier League video games earlier than this season kicked off. There are solely six matches he was fully unavailable for and Arsenal misplaced three of these.
Accidents in defence had a fair greater affect on midfield over the previous few months. Calafiori, signed to be an improve on Zinchenko, who himself has struggled with accidents, has been lacking. Arsenal misplaced Ben White for some video games too, which means Thomas Partey was faraway from the midfield to play right-back, whereas Jurrien Timber coated for Calafiori and Tomiyasu on the left of the defence.
Arteta will not be innocent within the workforce’s struggles. It might have been time to make use of extra of Oleksandr Zinchenko or Jorginho — ball gamers who look to be in possession consistently and preserve issues ticking, working their approach upfield — within the centre of the park, changing a few of Odegaard’s capability to set the tempo and permit Arsenal to camp in opposition halves. There have been shouts for Ethan Nwaneri to characteristic extra to take over among the ultimate third duties, with Arsenal badly struggling to create possibilities.
However it’s also possible to perceive wanting to maintain issues tighter while you’re not as assured that you simply’ll have the ability to create possibilities. Odegaard has created greater than some other participant within the Premier League in 2024, regardless of lacking the final two months.
Even with these costs levied on the supervisor, some concessions (towards Liverpool, at Inter) have include slightly an excessive amount of aggression and function excessive up the pitch, whereas the pink card towards Bournemouth got here from Arsenal attempting to play as excessive as ever.
Oh, the pink playing cards. WhoScored say Arsenal have conceded virtually twice as many non-penalty pictures on course per recreation this season (4.09) than final season (2.11) however — as I posted on Bluesky — 16 pictures on course have are available round 145 minutes with simply 10 gamers on the pitch, in comparison with 29 pictures within the different 850 minutes, roughly (I’m working with out added time) when Arsenal have been taking part in 11 towards 11. To simplify, with 10 males Arsenal have conceded a shot on course each 9 minutes, with 11 it’s a shot on course each 29 minutes.
Even in virtually actually the worst efficiency of the season, up at Newcastle, Arsenal barely conceded something and the true points had been on the different finish of the pitch. Context is king. It’s nonetheless worse than final season however you’ll anticipate Arsenal to be worse with out Odegaard than they had been with him.
The captain’s return ought to imply an enchancment and it must. Arsenal discover themselves a good distance behind proper now — Liverpool have performed nicely, received their shut video games, and by and enormous had each one among their key gamers absolutely match to this point — the hole to the highest is 9 factors.
However issues haven’t fairly been as dangerous as they could really feel — half of the 14 dropped factors have come when Arsenal had been a person down, one other two got here within the Liverpool match with out Odegaard, Saliba, Gabriel, Timber and Calafiori on the pitch — and Mikel Arteta’s facet have already navigated what must be the hardest run of the season: of the opposite sides to complete in final season’s high seven, Arsenal have already performed 5 of them away from residence.
It would require holding everybody match and happening a run akin to final season, when the workforce one 16 of the ultimate 18 video games final season. That run — and the cleanest attainable invoice of well being — has to start instantly.
With Odegaard again, there’s no motive to suppose it’s not attainable.
