Injuries have slowed Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard again this season, as the Norwegian superstar has only started a total of 13 games this season. In those starts, though, Odegaard has still been effective despite not quite being at his superstar best.
Odegaard has five assists on the 2025/26 Premier League season for the title favorites thus far, and when he returns from his latest injury issue, he will be a boost in both the creative department and in the control department.
Although Arsenal defeated a solid Brighton side 1-0 behind another stalwart defensive performance from the likes of Gabriel Magalhaes and now Piero Hincapie, there was something missing about the team’s overall performance on the ball.
The quality of passing, the comfort on the ball was lacking, and while a lot of that is down to the fatigue of star midfielders Martin Zubimendi and Declan Rice at the base of the midfield formation, it is becoming obvious that Arsenal just are not the same without Odegaard dictating play.
That should have always been obvious, to be honest, but because Odegaard is such a classy No. 10 in the attacking third, his ability to keep the team’s tempo, which is an ability he always had dating back to Real Sociedad, is often overlooked.
Arsenal do not tick over without Odegaard making himself available, hitting those dinked passes between forwards and asking for the ball in tight spaces. The scary thing, then, for Manchester City and the rest is how much more dominant Arsenal will be when O is back in the fold.
Joe Soriano is the editor of The Trivela Effect and a FanSided Hall of Famer who has covered world football since 2010. He’s led top digital communities like The Real Champs (Real Madrid) and has run sites covering Tottenham, Liverpool, Juventus, and Schalke. He also helped manage NFL Spin Zone and Daily DDT, covering the NFL and pro wrestling.