The captain is often the heart and complete face of a team. That was certainly true for Martin Odegaard and Arsenal in the match against Paris St-Germain. Both of them were not impressive.
The loss to PSG was not an expected performance after the high standards set by Arsenal with the victory over Real Madrid. It was the Gunners' biggest match of the season and Odegaard's performance was alarming.
The Norwegian player did not have a shot and only created one chance, despite being a creative pillar of Arsenal. His influence was summed up by only 4 smooth passes throughout the match. Meanwhile, Odegaard's midfield partners Mikel Merino and Declan Rice have made 20 such passes.
However, Odegaard's ineffective performance is not a complete surprise. There have been concerns about the midfielder's form for some time.
The Norwegian spent nearly 300 days without scoring any goals from open play for his club and national team. This series of matches will last from April 2024 to February this year.
Odegaard ended that run with two goals in games against Dinamo Zagreb and Manchester City. However, his creativity is still being questioned.
The 26-year-old midfielder has scored 15 Premier League goals in the 2022-23 season, while his 10-assist record last season was only bettered by two others.
This season, the Norwegian player has 5 goals and 8 assists in the Premier League and Champions League. Of course, there are still some games for Odegaard to improve his form.
Those who observe the Arsenal captain well will know that Odegaard's playing style is not limited to goals and assists. There are many better ways to show the 26-year-old's influence over the Gunners.
Odegaard remains tied for the Premier League lead in passes per 90 minutes, along with Mohamed Salah. He is also an important part of Arsenal's pressing style, as he showed against PSG.
With PSG in control for the first half of the Emirates, Mikel Arteta moved his pressing formation from 4-4-2-2 to 4-2-3-1, with Merino stepping deeper to recover the ball.
Arsenal's tactical change between matches was announced to the entire team through Odegaard. This highlights his important role as a bridge between the coach and the players.
But while Arsenal need Odegaard's skills, they also need someone who can grasp the situation and turn the game around.
While Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice also took the lead in the victory, Odegaard was the captain. And the way he participated in the process of getting the ball as well as applying pressure shows Arsenal's ability to control the intensity.
When Odegaard scored 15 Premier League goals two seasons ago, he also completed a significantly higher number of dribbles and challenges. These two different types of data are always together.
There are many reasons behind Odegaard's decline in these figures. A six-week absence at the start of the season due to an ankle injury could see him lose his pace. For all the current criticism of Odegaard's performance, his absence has been felt in his absence.
There was also instability around Odegaard on the pitch, with injuries to Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus leaving him without a real centre-forward to develop his passing ability.
Even Thomas Partey's suspension against PSG would mean Arsenal would have to change both midfield positions around Odegaard. But instead of being the leader, Odegaard was lost, while Rice and Merino played well in midfield.
The numbers show that Odegaard is at the lowest level in terms of ability to dribble and win in disputes. These are two important factors for Arsenal under Arteta.
Everyone knows Odegaard's true potential, but this season, Arsenal have to wait for him to shine when needed. Meanwhile, the Gunners' campaign time is fading.
"We will go to Paris with all our strength" - Odegaard said about the second leg of the Champions League semi-final next week against PSG, a match that will shape Arsenal's season. But there are still many doubts about how much strength the Norwegian player has.
