The very last thing a group chasing the title desires is to lose a key midfielder. A lacking key defender can usually be lined by his team-mates and collective organisation, enjoying and not using a star ahead means you could be crying out for the odd second of magic (or another person to step up when the possibility comes) however you may nonetheless look to dominate from again to entrance.
Not a lot with out your finest midfielder. The participant who makes the press doable and organises the group with out the ball, the participant who makes all the pieces tick with the ball, whether or not by dropping deep to get issues going, stitching strikes by way of the thirds, or arriving on an opportunity on the sting of the field.
Take out arguably your most vital and most irreplaceable participant, if not your finest, and issues can shortly crumble. With a much less efficient press, you get performed by way of, so that you drop deeper. Your play in possession will get sloppier so that you get hit on the break extra otherwise you flip the ball over nearer to your aim extra usually. If you find yourself within the ultimate third and also you do create possibilities, they’re rarer than earlier than; you’d higher take the probabilities you do get, in any other case you’ll in all probability find yourself paying for it.
An absence of alternate options on account of different accidents or suspensions means the identical gamers are enjoying each recreation as you attempt to get by. Fatigue will set in finally. Even when the gamers being requested to play each few days do keep match, performances are prone to take successful because the minutes add up and new roles, new relationships, new duties all want a while to click on.
And it could actually occur to anybody, at any second.
“If we don’t win, it’s as a result of we miss Rodri,” Pep Guardiola mentioned again in late September. I’m clearly referring to Martin Odegaard and the influence his absence has had on Arsenal however the entire above may very simply have been written about that midfielder and that group.
Mikel Arteta may not need to say it however I’ll: within the absence of the captain, if Arsenal don’t win, it’s as a result of they miss Odegaard.
Fortunately for Arsenal followers, that’s one thing that hasn’t actually been an issue over the previous few seasons. The Norwegian began 104 of Arsenal’s earlier 114 Premier League video games earlier than this season kicked off. There are solely six matches he was utterly unavailable for and Arsenal misplaced three of these.
Accidents in defence had a fair larger influence on midfield over the previous few months. Calafiori, signed to be an improve on Zinchenko, who himself has struggled with accidents, has been lacking. Arsenal misplaced Ben White for some video games too, which means Thomas Partey was faraway from the midfield to play right-back, whereas Jurrien Timber lined for Calafiori and Tomiyasu on the left of the defence.
Arteta is just not innocent within the group’s struggles. It might have been time to make use of extra of Oleksandr Zinchenko or Jorginho — ball gamers who look to be in possession always and maintain issues ticking, working their approach upfield — within the centre of the park, changing a few of Odegaard’s capability to set the tempo and permit Arsenal to camp in opposition halves. There have been shouts for Ethan Nwaneri to characteristic extra to take over a number of the ultimate third duties, with Arsenal badly struggling to create possibilities.
However it’s also possible to perceive wanting to maintain issues tighter if you’re not as assured that you simply’ll be capable of create possibilities. Odegaard has created greater than some other participant within the Premier League in 2024, regardless of lacking the final two months.
Even with these expenses levied on the supervisor, some concessions (towards Liverpool, at Inter) have include slightly an excessive amount of aggression and goal excessive up the pitch, whereas the pink card towards Bournemouth got here from Arsenal making an attempt to play as excessive as ever.
Oh, the pink playing cards. WhoScored say Arsenal have conceded nearly twice as many non-penalty photographs heading in the right direction per recreation this season (4.09) than final season (2.11) however — as I posted on Bluesky — 16 photographs heading in the right direction have are available round 145 minutes with simply 10 gamers on the pitch, in comparison with 29 photographs within the different 850 minutes, kind of (I’m working with out added time) when Arsenal have been enjoying 11 towards 11. To simplify, with 10 males Arsenal have conceded a shot heading in the right direction each 9 minutes, with 11 it’s a shot heading in the right direction each 29 minutes.
Even in nearly definitely the worst efficiency of the season, up at Newcastle, Arsenal barely conceded something and the actual points have been on the different finish of the pitch. Context is king. It’s nonetheless worse than final season however you’ll count on Arsenal to be worse with out Odegaard than they have been with him.
The captain’s return ought to imply an enchancment and it must. Arsenal discover themselves a good distance behind proper now — Liverpool have performed effectively, gained their shut video games, and by and huge had each one in every of their key gamers totally match up to now — the hole to the highest is 9 factors.
However issues haven’t fairly been as dangerous as they could really feel — half of the 14 dropped factors have come when Arsenal have been a person down, one other two got here within the Liverpool match with out Odegaard, Saliba, Gabriel, Timber and Calafiori on the pitch — and Mikel Arteta’s aspect have already navigated what needs to be the hardest run of the season: of the opposite sides to complete in final season’s high seven, Arsenal have already performed 5 of them away from house.
It can require holding everybody match and happening a run akin to final season, when the group one 16 of the ultimate 18 video games final season. That run — and the cleanest doable invoice of well being — has to start instantly.
With Odegaard again, there’s no cause to assume it’s not doable.