The Arsenal skipper struggled to makes an impact against Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester City, Chelsea and Sevilla. As a result, the Gunners captain has recently come in for some rather stinging criticism from Emmanuel Petit.
with the former midfielder claiming that the Norway international has looked “sloppy on the pitch with no creativity and he looks tired as well physically”.
The Frenchman also alluded to the fact that Odegaard might be suffering from a lack of rotation from Mikel Arteta with regard to the Arsenal starting XI.
Last season the attacking midfielder scored against all three newly-promoted clubs. A brace against Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium, the final goal of a 5-0 thumping of Nottingham Forest and a strike to put the Fulham game to bed in the first half back in March.
Of the clubs to come up from the Championship this season – Sheffield United, Burnley and Luton Town – Saturday marks the Gunners’ first game against one, and given Odegaard’s aforementioned record in these sorts of fixtures, perhaps Arteta will be inclined to keep faith in his captain.
Who knows, if Odegaard starts against the Blades and maintains this impressive goalscoring record then it could be seen as the catalyst for a return to last season’s heights where he was one of the best-performing midfielders across the Premier League.
