IT is very easy to blame Martin Odegaard when Arsenal have lost this season – but don’t be so quick to point the finger.
He is the club’s captain and talismanic figure, so often relied upon for magic moments and so often delivering over the past few seasons.
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This term, those moments have been few and far between, with just five goals and nine assists in 40 appearances in all competitions.
In second half injury time, losing 1-0 to Paris Saint-Germain in last night’s Champions League semi-final first leg, Odegaard was subbed off by Mikel Arteta for 18-year-old Ethan Nwaneri, having completed just 20 of 23 attempted passes and created one chance.
That about sums up Odegaard right now.
The French media went in hard on the Norwegian in their ratings. Get French Football News gave him 4/10. Maxi Foot went with 3/10.
Foot Mercato compared Odegaard to a “ghost” who “continually made bad decisions”.
It feels as though this campaign has taken its toll on Odegaard, each and every game looking like a painful struggle when normally he is effortlessly brilliant.
His execution, his inspiration, his consistency, has been lacking, and that can be attributed to a number of factors.
An ankle injury picked up on international duty with Norway on September 9 derailed his momentum at the start of the season, returning nearly two months later and just one goal in his next 18 matches.
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Then the 26-year-old became a father for the first time in early December with his wife Helene, a significant period that will have left him exhausted mentally and physically.
And then, perhaps most significantly, came the injuries to key players. First it was Bukayo Saka, then it was Gabriel Jesus and then it was Kai Havertz, all by the start of February.
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The spotlight, the scrutiny, the pressure on others suddenly honed in on Odegaard. The expectation was that he would rise to the challenge and drag Arsenal to glory.
Any fan who has watched Arsenal recently can tell you that has not happened. He is letting games pass him by instead of taking them by the scruff of the neck, pulling rabbits out of the hat.
And yet, the stats tell a slightly different story, that Odegaard DOES step up in the absence of others, but is being let down by those currently around him.
Since the start of last season, when playing with Havertz up top, Odegaard has 14 goals and 13 assists, and per 90 minutes on average creates 2.5 chances, produces 2.7 crosses and plays 7.2 passes into the box.
In the 20 games played without the German striker, Odegaard has just two goals and seven assists, but has produced per 90 minutes more chances [2.9], more crosses [3.5] and more passes into the box [8.6].
It is the same story with Saka. With the England winger on the pitch since 2023/24, Odegaard has scored 11 goals with 15 assists, and averages per 90 minutes 2.5 chances created, 2.1 crosses and 6.8 passes into the box.
Without him, Odegaard’s goal and assist tally drops to five, but racks up per 90 minutes 2.8 created chances, 5.4 crosses and 9.5 passes into the box.
Odegaard’s numbers rise but his goal involvement does not. What does that tell us? It shows the likes of Mikel Merino and Leandro Trossard are not making the most of Odegaard’s positioning and vision at times, leaving Arsenal’s playmaker frustrated and isolated.
It is arguably why he lost possession 14 TIMES against PSG, as well as losing six of his eight ground duels.
And between them, Merino, Trossard and Gabriel Martinelli have missed a joint 21 big chances this season.
As the saying goes, “a bad workman blames his tools”, but Odegaard may have a point.
Following a summer of rest, recovery and family time, joined in pre-season by new signings with a view to quality over quantity, we will likely see Odegaard return to his best.
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