Managers lamenting injuries is nothing new. And it can often help them forget about other problems. However, Martin Odegaard's return from injury has coincided with a marked improvement in Arsenal's form, most recently in the Gunners' 5-1 win over Sporting Lisbon in the Champions League.
"Martin Odegaard is an unbelievable player and the day he came back I had a big smile on my face. You can see the chemistry between us, how much I love playing with him. So I'm very happy he's back and I hope he keeps up the form throughout the season," Bukayo Saka said of the Norwegian midfielder.
Odegaard's tendency to drift out to the right to link up with Saka is a familiar pattern for the Gunners but one that many teams struggle to counter. Nottingham Forest found this to their cost last weekend when they were beaten miserably at the Emirates.
In the win over Sporting, Odegaard had more touches (82) than any other Arsenal player apart from Timber (84). And remember, the Norwegian midfielder left the pitch 12 minutes early to prepare for this weekend's game against West Ham.
The win over Sporting was the first time Arsenal had scored five away goals in the Champions League since October 2008. They went into this game with questions about their away form in the Champions League, with Mikel Arteta's side having not scored away in the competition since December.
Asked whether this was his best away performance in Europe during his five-year tenure, Arteta was clear.
"Definitely, considering that Sporting Lisbon have not lost at home for the last 18 months. They are in very good form, playing better than any opponent at home. So I am very pleased that Arsenal played with such high level, determination and understanding like today" - Arteta said.
Arteta surprised many by describing the 1-0 defeat to Inter Milan as the best big game they had played in Europe for years, but that belief was fully justified after the win over Sporting.
"It's true that the results were very different. But with the performance and the identity of the team that I saw against Inter, I was very satisfied. I knew that if I followed that path, good things would come in Europe" - said the Spanish strategist.
Arteta also believes the return of a number of players from injury has increased competition in training, which in turn has improved performance.
With the return of playmaker Odegaard, Arsenal sent a strong message to their Premier League opponents last weekend. And against Sporting, they underlined it once again in Europe.
