Martin Ødegaard: El Capitanø Campeone

[grange]

He worked his way back into being seen as a decent player from the NFM. We should cash in now.

 

[Aubamabludclat94]

Haaland v England yesterday though...

Best thing bout Norway being out is not having to cutaways of this buffoon every 3 minutes for their games anymore

 

[Aubamabludclat94]

I really don’t see how someone who watched us over 50 odd games thinks we don’t struggle massively in the build up phase of the game. Dont want to offend any of you soft ****ers but if you don’t see that, I just don’t think you understand modern football tbh. I think the only player who actually had a decent showing there over the final half of the season was MLS and he didn’t even really play that many games there

 

[Aubamabludclat94]

Thought he had a brilliant World Cup, one of the best midfielders at the tournament.

As mentioned in other threads, my theory is that he has been saving himself for this tournament and has been managing his fitness, especially last season, to ensure he is 100% fit for this tournament. It’s frustrating, but understandable.

But if he can replicate this form and level of fitness for the rest of 26/27, there is no doubt he’s a very valuable player.

I think he was by far the best of his type of midfielder (Pedri, Vitinha, etc). I still think he’s in conversations with those guys when fit and firing, and I rate those guys as basically untouchables in modern football. Players who make teams play are a premium to me, basically the complete opposite of how a lot of other fans feel about midfielders lmao

 

[viktor]

i dont think we need Ødegaard play as 8 when bruno g at 8 role better than ode, the only place for Ødegaard leave arsenal or on the bench

 

[Coolin]

Did nothing special yesterday. If he produced that performance for us no one would talk about it.

 

[outlawz]

I really don’t see how someone who watched us over 50 odd games thinks we don’t struggle massively in the build up phase of the game. Dont want to offend any of you soft ****ers but if you don’t see that, I just don’t think you understand modern football tbh. I think the only player who actually had a decent showing there over the final half of the season was MLS and he didn’t even really play that many games there

You can tell who understands ball and who doesn't based on how they land on Ødegaard after this WC of his. Central to Norway's best ever WC position and joint second for most assists in the tournament.

He's had an excellent campaign.

 

[Trilly]

They would, because the fans became obsessed with Eze and having a 10 close to goal.

Because we needed one, look who was playing upfront bro

 

[blaze_of_glory]

He might be one of our fittest players to start the season due to how much others have played without rest. As I've said before, I think we'll know by January if he's going to continue here long term.

 

[outlawz]

He might be one of our fittest players to start the season due to how much others have played without rest. As I've said before, I think we'll know by January if he's going to continue here long term.

We've got serious concerns about players who will miss the start of the season in Rice, Saka and Saliba and the geniuses on here want to get rid of the one player who has finally hit form and is seemingly over his injury issues.

 

[Entropics]

He worked his way back into being seen as a decent player from the NFM. We should cash in now.

Nobody is interested so we just have to pretend this can still work for us somehow

He's in the same ballpark than the likes of Madueke in that regard

 

[grange]

Nobody is interested so we just have to pretend this can still work for us somehow

Spends 85 minutes a game recycling possession in non-threatening areas and AM acts like he's Jay-Jay Okocha. Shameful.

 

[Buhry]

Spends 85 minutes a game recycling possession in non-threatening areas and AM acts like he's Jay-Jay Okocha. Shameful.

That's what Xavi and Busquets used to do innit?

At least he has had a much better world cup than Eze who somehow escapes all criticism.

 

[Legend14]

Point was made earlier. We know how he intends to play at this point. We saw him more healthy and confident in the WC. So, do we build around him or do something else?? We didn’t seem to know what to do with him last season and yet he got all the touches on the field.

If we want to leverage his talent, we need to have a plan. Otherwise, if that is too difficult to do, or has a low chance of success as a team, you move on while he is at a high value.

It’s a big question. Don’t have an answer.

 

[Arsenist]

The anti Eze brigade want to sell a player who kept getting benched after decent stints in his assimilation year, and actually contributed more than his captaincy. And using the Eze escape card to deflect any points of criticism on a player who’s actually stagnating the team is abysmal.

Granted Eze wasn’t consistently exceptional. How does that change that Ødegaard fidgeting around does not equate to prime David silva and is rather hampering us lol.

If anything, catering to the captain was hurting Zubi mostly last year so save us Eze vs Ødegaard debates pls.

 

[MartiSaka]

Point was made earlier. We know how he intends to play at this point. We saw him more healthy and confident in the WC. So, do we build around him or do something else?? We didn’t seem to know what to do with him last season and yet he got all the touches on the field.

If we want to leverage his talent, we need to have a plan. Otherwise, if that is too difficult to do, or has a low chance of success as a team, you move on while he is at a high value.

It’s a big question. Don’t have an answer.

Yeah agree with this generally. If I was the club, I would have no ****ing idea what to do with respect to O. Much better than the other options on offer, given his involvement on the ball, when he is fit, in form and confident. But we haven't seen that for a while and he can really degrade our play during those times.

 

[lomekian]

Good to see the captain looking more like himself, but he didn't really have many standout moments. He's underrated by many on here, but he is still not the player he was 22-24, and there are question marks as to whether he's a good fit for us going forwards in the longer term. The problem is, we have no-one else as secure in possession in terms of keeping it, keeping it moving etc.

He's also only really effective as a combination player. He's at his best for us with Saka and White in close proximity, and again with players around him who are technically secure enough to retain it and give it back to him. Hence he looks better with Havertz than with Gyokeres. Not sure anyone looks great with Madueke, but that's another question...

It really depends where this team evolves from here. Will this summer see more technical players arriving, or more blood and thunder types?

He was actually better for Norway in qualifiying when fit, as he was often closer to Haaland, but at the WC level, the paucity of other options turned him into the useful but ultimately less impactful all areas midfielder. Berg grew into the tournament, but isn't really a progressive passer, and Sander Berge is just big and relatively safe, but offers nothing to build up.

Ultimately Ødegaard can work well for us if Zubimendi can re-find his progressive passing and if Saka and Havertz can stay fit. Our other current options in those positions just don't work with him, and it remains to be seen who arrives over the next few weeks.

 

[Trilly]

Nobody is interested so we just have to pretend this can still work for us somehow

He's in the same ballpark than the likes of Madueke in that regard

Too far I still do think there's a bit of cope going around though imo.

Yeah the world cup is the biggest stage but it's also a more open, entertaining brand of football with more vibes less tactics. I try to avoid judging players on world cup performances where I can but there seems to be an underlying assumption that Norway WC Ode will be 26/27 Arsenal Ode.

Also cool, there's wide acceptance that he's changed and has 'lost' the attacking parts of his game but is still good at the middle third stuff. Is that cool though? I've never seen a player losing half of their game be accepted the way it's been with Ode. Any one else we'd be saying this is a player on a downward trajectory but for Ødegaard you get told you don't understand football. This is a guy who holds the PL record for most open play goals in a season from a midfielder and now you get told in this thread that end product was never a part of his game.

 

[outlawz]

Too far I still do think there's a bit of cope going around though imo.

Yeah the world cup is the biggest stage but it's also a more open, entertaining brand of football with more vibes less tactics. I try to avoid judging players on world cup performances where I can but there seems to be an underlying assumption that Norway WC Ode will be 26/27 Arsenal Ode.

Also cool, there's wide acceptance that he's changed and has 'lost' the attacking parts of his game but is still good at the middle third stuff. Is that cool though? I've never seen a player losing half of their game be accepted the way it's been with Ode. Any one else we'd be saying this is a player on a downward trajectory but for Ødegaard you get told you don't understand football. This is a guy who holds the PL record for most open play goals in a season from a midfielder and now you get told in this thread that end product was never a part of his game.

It's clear to me that a lot of people are ignorant or are too young to not have lived through a top players lifecycle - to know that a players form and performances varies across their career and more importantly - players develop and can change their game as they grow older. You can count on one hand - the number of players who consistently maintained a certain output or improved their performances y-o-y.

What is typical is that players have good seasons, great seasons and mediocre seasons. The people with no memory or sense will be quick to write the players obituary in the mediocre seasons even though players can and have recaptured their form. You can bet your arse Saka is next in the firing line even though current day Saka is still top 3 best RW's in the league.

I wonder how people would have reacted to Drogba having two single digit scoring PL campaigns after 06/07 - only to come roaring back in 09/10. No doubt the idiots would have said - he's done, we need to replace him etc.

How about Zidane? In between 98-01, Juventus fans were criticising him for no end product, going missing in big games and not being suited to the team. Look how that changed when he signed for Madrid.

It's also not at all unusual for a top player to have a peak season in terms of productivity and then fall off - a player deteriorating IS NOT a reason to move someone on if their peak was incredibly high. I can only think about what absolute crap would have been said about Dennis Bergkamp after 98 or Ryan Giggs after 99 when both fell off but then reinvented their games and never quite recaptured their peak but maintained a high standard through a different role.

If Ødegaard can knit play and help the team control the ball - pass through presses and help the team move up the pitch - he's easily top 5 in the world at doing so. That is a quality worth keeping unless you can directly replace him with someone who can do that and more. Good luck finding that player.

He has lost his end product so he's not going to be top 3 best attacking midfielders in the world like he once threatened to be - but he's still incredibly good and worthwhile keeping in the squad. Him being worse than before is not and has never been reason enough to sell someone.

 

[Trilly]

It's clear to me that a lot of people that a players form and performances varies across their career and more importantly - players develop and change their game as they grow older. You can count on one hand - the number of players who consistently maintained a certain output or improved their performances y-o-y.

What is typical is that players have good seasons, great seasons and mediocre seasons. The people with no memory or sense will be quick to write the players obituary in the mediocre seasons even though players can and have recaptured their form.

I wonder how people would have reacted to Drogba having two single digit scoring PL campaigns after 06/07 - only to come roaring back in 09/10. No doubt the idiots would have said - he's done, we need to replace him etc.

How about Zidane? In between 98-01, Juventus fans were criticising him for no end product, going missing in big games and not being suited to the team. Look how that changed when he signed for Madrid.

It's also not at all unusual for a top player to have a peak season in terms of productivity and then fall off - that IS NOT a reason to move them on. I can only think about what absolute crap would have been said about Dennis Bergkamp after 98 or Ryan Giggs after 99 when both fell off but then reinvented their games and never quite recaptured their peak but maintained a high standard through a different role.

If Ødegaard can knit play and help the team control the ball - pass through presses and help the team move up the pitch - he's easily top 5 in the world at doing so. That is a quality worth keeping unless you can directly replace him with someone who can do that and more. Good luck finding that player.

He has lost his end product so he's not going to be top 3 best attacking midfielders in the world like he once threatened to be - but he's still incredibly good and worthwhile keeping in the squad.

I don’t disagree with that. It’s really his upcoming contract renewal and his already high wages that make this interesting.

Are you really going to bump him up to 300kpw? Is this new version of him even worth his current 250kpw? I’m not sure of the first question but I could maybe be okay with the second one. Thing is, I don’t think Ode will settle for being extended on similar wages.

And yes if anyone has the talent to bounce back after a few meh seasons then it’s Ode. It just doesn’t seem to happen that often these days. Dembele is probably the best example in modern times but other than him?