Arsenal have virtually ceded the title to Liverpool, with a new-look team on the horizon for next season.
The Gunners' meek 1-0 defeat to West Ham United at the weekend was just their third loss all season but marked the continuation of a familiar problem. In his post-match press conference following the defeat, manager Mikel Arteta used the word “anger” and refused to accept that injuries were an answer for an apparent white flag in this season's title race.
But while so-called ‘Big Six’ fixtures were an Achille's heel for years, Arsenal now struggle against a very different kind of opposition, with the likes of Aston Villa, Brighton, Fulham and Newcastle United snatching points both this season and last.
Arsenal have evolved their midfield, with Martin Odegaard clearly left behind
It's now very obvious how to beat Arteta's men. A dogged mid-block is more than enough to stifle them, with central progression a serious issue: once again this weekend, Arsenal worked the horseshoe in the absence of any real penetration into dangerous areas, with Martin Odegaard front and centre of another poor performance.
Odegaard was the very fulcrum of Arteta's midfield when the Basque boss first pivoted to his current 4-3-3 formation. At his best, the Norwegian was the tempo-setting no.8 able to drop deep and join the centre-forward in a high press and the rest of the team complemented him fantastically.
Thomas Partey and Granit Xhaka shared the burden of possession, but both players offered more vertical passing in midfield. Odegaard was there to dictate – he was the conductor of so many fantastic salvage jobs from behind in 2022/23 – and with Bukayo Saka to the right of him, the pair struck up a fantastic partnership on the righthand flank that Arteta compared to Barcelona greats.
That's all changed. Partey is 31, his legs waning after injury hell; Xhaka is long gone and for now, so has hamstring injury-stricken Saka. In recent months, Odegaard has proven that he struggles to step up to become a primary creator for this side without the right men around him.
That's not exactly his fault. Bernardo Silva has struggled this season without a no.10 like Kevin De Bruyne, for example. But with the Mail reporting that Arsenal have “virtually completed” a move for another tempo-setting passer in Martin Zubimendi, Odegaard's role in this team has essentially been replaced.
It leaves the 26-year-old in a kind of limbo – and suggests that the hugely successful righthand side is no longer going to start every single game without fail.
Odegaard remains integral to Arteta – on and off the ball – but a rebuild of sorts beckons
Speaking recently to Mundo Deportivo, the Arsenal manager recently claimed he puts his skipper “on a pedestal”. It's unlikely he's going to sell Odegaard any time soon – but his place in the team should look very different going forward.
Especially with the rise of Ethan Nwaneri, ranked at no.12 in FourFourTwo's list of the most exciting teenagers to watch this season. Arsenal could theoretically shift Saka to the left wing to accommodate the 17-year-old – or more likely look to reshape their midfield to accommodate both Nwaneri and Odegaard, relieving the creative burden on the senior player.
With Zubimendi said to be agreed already – and Arteta showing at the weekend that's unafraid of taking off Declan Rice, even in the biggest moments – perhaps we'll see more rotation next season depending on opponents and game state. A midfield of Zubimendi, Rice and Odegaard seems compact enough for bigger games, while one of Zubmendi or Rice could drop out against smaller teams to let Odegaard and Nwaneri play as no.8s.
Something needs to change. Arsenal have gone from one extreme to the other – and at the same time, it's taken a huge burden on the first-choice players tasked with breaking down title rivals and gritty midtablers, alike. Odegaard's role as the do-all complete midfielder is over: and he'll likely be better off for it.
