Arsenal's Spanish manager Mikel Arteta (L) and Arsenal's Norwegian midfielder #08 Martin Odegaard react after the English Premier League football match between Bournemouth and Arsenal at the Vitality Stadium in Bournemouth, southern England on September 30, 2023. (Photo by Adrian DENNIS / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. / (Photo by ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP via Getty Images)
3 reasons Martin Odegaard should be rotated in upcoming games
https://twitter.com/Arsenal/status/1695114915063767504
3. To give other players a chance
You may be wondering who replaces Odegaard if you take him out of the team. Well, that’s the biggest reason I would like him to be rotated more.
We have some great players in the squad who aren’t getting any minutes at all, most notably Emile Smith Rowe. The young player was injured most of last year and hasn’t gotten a string of performances since then.
However, I remember his performances when Arteta was struggling and many fans wanted the manager gone. Smith Rowe was delightful, so fluid and so efficient at finishing chances. His combination with Saka is perfect on paper, so I am desperate to see that in the Premier League again.
If Smith Rowe gets sold in January, I will be devastated.
The other player I would love to see in that role is Fabio Vieira. The Portuguese player belongs to a special breed of footballers who have a killer touch, either for crosses or shots. Having a player like that in your side is absolute hell for the opposition and it is something that Odegaard doesn’t quite offer.
So, those are the reasons I’d like to see more rotation. To re-emphasise, I strongly think that Odegaard should start most games and that he is one of the best players in the team. I just expect a little bit more from him than what he’s shown this season, and I think a bit of time on the bench may unlock his true potential.
@adamvoge looks into what the numbers tell us about the skipper's trigger-happy ways <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/10/19/3-reasons-martin-odegaard-rotated-upcoming-games/3/"https://t.co/8Md3RZ2zyY">https://t.co/8Md3RZ2zyY <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/10/19/3-reasons-martin-odegaard-rotated-upcoming-games/3/"https://t.co/ig6F11weMd">pic.twitter.com/ig6F11weMd
<p>— Cannon Stats (@CannonStats) <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/10/19/3-reasons-martin-odegaard-rotated-upcoming-games/3/"https://twitter.com/CannonStats/status/1712876644774351207?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%22>October 13, 2023</a></p></blockquote>
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<p>A problem I have with Martin Odegaard is that I feel he tends to underperform, to his standards, in big games. Against Manchester City and Tottenham, he was wayward with his passes and couldn’t find his teammates like he usually does.</p>
<p>Benching a player, or, at least, showing them that they are not guaranteed a position in the starting lineup, should light a fire under them and really push them to the next level. Give a player something to prove and they will prove themselves.</p>
<p>The other thing that has been annoying me about Odegaard this season is his shooting and, more specifically, his shot selection. Through eight Premier League games, the skipper’s xG per shot is currently the joint-lowest of his career at <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/10/19/3-reasons-martin-odegaard-rotated-upcoming-games/3/"https://fbref.com/en/players/79300479/Martin-Odegaard">0.05.
<p>He is taking shots from well outside the box and more importantly, when other players are in much better positions. Gabriel Martinelli, in particular, was very unhappy in the game against Man City when Odegaard decided to shoot at one point.</p>
<p>It’s evident that the Norwegian is choosing to shoot more, and it may be a joint decision with Arteta but I am not a fan. I much prefer Odegaard when he’s linking play and playing intricate through balls. That’s the Odegaard I want to see again!</p>
<p>Getting subbed off a bit more or even not starting a game or two might give him the refresher that he needs.</p>
<p><em>Continued on the next slide…</em></p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #c01f2f" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/10/19/3-reasons-martin-odegaard-rotated-upcoming-games/3/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> #2 reason why Odegaard should be rotated more </a>
</div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_137004" class="wp-caption alignnone">
<img decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-137004" src=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/10/19/3-reasons-martin-odegaard-rotated-upcoming-games/3/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1067,w_1600/https%3A%2F%2Fpaininthearsenal.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F07%2F1698315599-1.jpeg" alt="" width="1600" height="1067" srcset="https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1698315599-1.jpeg 1600w, https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1698315599-1-768x512.jpeg 768w, https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1698315599-1-1536x1024.jpeg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px"><p class="wp-caption-text">Could Odegaard work even better with Gabriel Martinelli? (Photo by ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP via Getty Images)</p>
</div>
<h2>2. The Saka combination</h2>
<p>This might seem provocative again, but I am not the biggest fan of the Saka-Odegaard combination. Of course, they are technically incredible, but their combination has not been particularly tidy so far this season.</p>
<p>That could be down to a variety of factors, but Odegaard is a player who tends to stay inside rather than offer an overlap. In theory, that would work a lot better with Martinelli than Saka but Odegaard doesn’t seem comfortable on the opposite side for whatever reason.</p>
<p>In my opinion, almost any player you slot in next to Saka would look good, that’s how good the winger is. The right-hand side works so well thanks to Saka’s individual quality and Ben White’s overlapping runs and not due to Odegaard, at least right now.</p>
<p>Take him out of that right-hand side for a stretch of time and see what happens with the team. In that case, you could even slot the Norwegian on the left of midfield and see how he combines with Martinelli.</p>
<p>Maybe I’m being very naïve by suggesting this but I think it could take Arsenal to a higher level. Mikel Arteta is a ruthless manager and just because something has been working well doesn’t mean that it couldn’t work much better.</p>
<p><em>Continued on the next slide…</em></p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #c01f2f" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/10/19/3-reasons-martin-odegaard-rotated-upcoming-games/3/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> #3 reason why Odegaard should be rotated more </a>
</div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><p>https://twitter.com/Arsenal/status/1695114915063767504</p>
<h2>3. To give other players a chance</h2>
<p>You may be wondering who replaces Odegaard if you take him out of the team. Well, that’s the biggest reason I would like him to be rotated more.</p>
<p>We have some great players in the squad who aren’t getting any minutes at all, most notably Emile Smith Rowe. The young player was injured most of last year and hasn’t gotten a string of performances since then.</p>
<p>However, I remember his performances when Arteta was struggling and many fans wanted the manager gone. Smith Rowe was delightful, so fluid and so efficient at finishing chances. His combination with Saka is perfect on paper, so I am desperate to see that in the Premier League again.</p>
<p>If Smith Rowe gets sold in January, I will be devastated.</p>
<p>The other player I would love to see in that role is Fabio Vieira. The Portuguese player belongs to a special breed of footballers who have a killer touch, either for crosses or shots. Having a player like that in your side is absolute hell for the opposition and it is something that Odegaard doesn’t quite offer.</p>
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<p>So, those are the reasons I’d like to see more rotation. To re-emphasise, I strongly think that Odegaard should start most games and that he is one of the best players in the team. I just expect a little bit more from him than what he’s shown this season, and I think a bit of time on the bench may unlock his true potential.</p><!—pageview_candidate—>">
