Martin Ødegaard: El Capitanø Incognito

[MauveGunner]

well, let's hope I am wrong

We'll be okay next season, Hughes. Last year we were lucky with the injuries and this year we were unlucky. Next season the luck might be on our side again.

 

[Sanchez11]

He needs to show up tonight

 

[db10_therza]

I disagree completely. We looked completely off it in possession when Ode was out injured. Even in the crappiest season of his Arsenal career he's been important to the functioning of the system.

Too much recency bias in this thread. He's had a rough season in terms of output and decisive moves, but he's still very much the metronome of the team.

We looked off it when he was gone because we have no other tempo setter / AM in our entire squad which is a separate failure.

Ødegaard has been horrendous by his standards this season, I don’t see how that’s even an argument.

It’s not recency bias, we’re not talking about a couple of games here. He’s been a hot mess for most of this season.

 

[outlawz]

lol harsh, but yeah difficult to dispute at the moment sadly.

I am trying to think of a top player Arsenal or otherwise that had a really sh*t season and ran it back the following one but I am drawing a blank.

Bergkamp is the most obvious one. Fell off around the start of 2000 a season or two following his FPL/FWA Player of the Year win (started losing starts to Kanu/Wiltord and almost left the club) but then came back with a bang.

It happens to numerous players. With Saka - people acting like he's the first player to sustain a hamstring injury. With Ødegaard - people acting like he's the first top player to go through a barren run of form.

People need to broaden their perspective.

 

[Macho]

Bergkamp is the most obvious one. Fell off around the start of 2000 following his FPL Player of the Year win (started losing starts to Kanu/Wiltord and almost left the club) but then came back with a bang.

It happens to numerous players. With Saka - people acting like he's the first player to sustain a hamstring injury. With Ødegaard - people acting like he's the first top player to go through a barren run of form.

People need to broaden their perspective.

Nah Bergie was at the tail end of his career though man, early 30s around 2000.

 

[outlawz]

Nah Bergie was at the tail end of his career though man, early 30s around 2000.

Yeah, but he recovered and came back strong for the two title wins that followed.

Salah is another obvious non-Arsenal example - having one of the best seasons of his career when he was considered on the way out last season.

 

[Bloodbather]

We looked off it when he was gone because we have no other tempo setter / AM in our entire squad which is a separate failure.

Ødegaard has been horrendous by his standards this season, I don’t see how that’s even an argument.

It’s not recency bias, we’re not talking about a couple of games here. He’s been a hot mess for most of this season.

What part of "crappiest season of his Arsenal career" argues against this point?

The point made in the post I replied to was that he was not a part of our core without which we look lost. So the fact that he has no replacement is exactly the point.

It's recency bias still for me, when you consider the magnitude of the claims being made. His work of the previous few years has been swept under the rug. He deserves more credit for those and should be given the benefit of the doubt.

 

[Macho]

Yeah, but he recovered and came back strong for the two title wins that followed.

Salah is another obvious non-Arsenal example - having one of the best seasons of his career when he was considered on the way out last season.

Salah had a meh season by his own standards, but in the grand scheme was still a top forward.

 

[db10_therza]

What part of "crappiest season of his Arsenal career" argues against this point?

The point made in the post I replied to was that he was not a part of our core without which we look lost. So the fact that he has no replacement is exactly the point.

It's recency bias still for me, when you consider the magnitude of the claims being made. His work of the previous few years has been swept under the rug. He deserves more credit for those and should be given the benefit of the doubt.

I mean I don’t think an entire season counts as “bad form”. A season is not form, it’s a long ass time but we can disagree on that, it’s semantics.

Looking forward we’re apparently adding Zubimendi who is the definition of a tempo setting metronome. What we will need from Ødegaard is end product. Can he be that guy?

Jury is out for me. His value to the team was always his ability to both control tempo and create, but as a pure creator I don’t know if the end product from last season was an outlier or something he can reproduce consistently. It’s not just about the numbers as well, the eye test this season - some of his misplaced passes and “finishes” have been downright shocking. You can glaze over that if you want but I have concerns.

 

[Bloodbather]

I mean I don’t think an entire season counts as “bad form”. A season is not form, it’s a long ass time but we can disagree on that, it’s semantics.

Sure, but we've seen players have a patchy season and go back to what they were before. My line of thinking is that it's more likely that Ode is having that type of season than having a weird decline at 26 out of nowhere. Especially considering that he had an injury that disrupted his rhythm early on.

Looking forward we’re apparently adding Zubimendi who is the definition of a tempo setting metronome. What we will need from Ødegaard is end product. Can he be that guy?

He did have two 20+ G/A seasons prior to this one. Lessened burden could make things easier for him. Let’s not forget that he presses like a madman all game as well, he might be gassing himself out trying to do everything. We'll see if his movement in dangerous areas and incisive passing have departed him. He's never been a great finisher so I'm not including that, that would be a new development.

 

[db10_therza]

He did have two 20+ G/A seasons prior to this one.

This is the thing right. He’s had 2 good seasons and 1 bad one. But you’re making out like the 1 bad one is statistically insignificant, it’s really not. If he has another season like this one then it’s 50:50…

I hope he doesn’t, I think he has the potential to be a wonderful player but one more season like this and he can go tbh.

 

[ksarp]

Timber and GM have comparable replacements, Saliba, Rice and Saka don’t.

Who is Timber's replacement? The cat is the best 1v1 defender on the team.

 

[HagnSprayGooners]

Poor all season and looks like he's lost a lot of weight. Think life with a child is hitting him hard.

I'm not overly worried yet but he does need competition and he also needs to give the captaincy up.

 

[MikelHadADream]

Who is Timber's replacement? The cat is the best 1v1 defender on the team.

Ben Whtie.

 

[djpeat]

To all of you who you who want martin gone understand nothing about this game
He has not had his best season on the eye or stats but he is integral to where we are now.

Come at me haters

 

[BergMan]

Ødegaard is going to be the first captain in Arsenal history to lift the CL!!!!

Vieira and not even Tony Adams managed that!!!
Arsenal history!!!!

 

[ksarp]

Still put on a shyyt show..

 

[djpeat]

Still put on a shyyt show..

And you know shyyyyyyyyt about football
Or do you call it soccer
Dont cancell me ( or give me cancer )
Be you

 

[ksarp]

And you know shyyyyyyyyt about football
Or do you call it soccer
Dont cancell me ( or give me cancer )
Be you

I won't address your personal attack. We all watched the game. Ødegaard has been sub par all season and that's being generous. Whatever it is that is holding him back, he needs to rectify or this team will leave him behind.

 

[djpeat]

I won't address your personal attack. We all watched the game. Ødegaard has been sub par all season and that's being generous. Whatever it is that is holding him back, he needs to rectify or this team will leave him behind.

We would not be in the semi without him
Do you think wearing the armband is just on game day
The team ink staff put us in this position