3 days Ago By [email protected] (Samuel Meade)
Martin Odegaard has drawn comparisons with Dennis Bergkamp for the influence he has on this Arsenal team. The Dutchman is regarded as one of the Gunners' greatest foreign imports and won three Premier League titles during his time in north London. One of those was the Invincible season of 2003/04 and Odegaard is now trying to inspire the team to another top flight success.
Odegaard's creativity has been crucial in making Arsenal tick and the team have struggled during the period he's been sidelined . Bergkamp was known for his ability to make chances for others - something the Norwegian too has earned plaudits for. Ray Parlour, who played with the Dutch forward, said: “Well, I look at Bergkamp when I played.
I wouldn’t say he [Odegaard] is as good as Bergkamp, but he’s very similar in the way he can see vision and he will create chances. What I’m saying is he can get into little areas, he’s a very clever player. "You watch his vision when he puts balls through.
He knows where the runs are going to come from. Against Newcastle , I didn’t see that. I didn’t see the creativity from Arsenal’s midfield.
That’s what he can bring to the team if he does come back on the weekend.” Odegaard has been injured since he picked up an issue whilst away with Norway and, on numerous occasions, his absence has been felt by the north Londoners. They've only picked up one point from the last nine available.
Their last domestic outing saw them lose at Newcastle, who secured a 1-0 victory. Odegaard was again missing and Arsenal struggled to create in the final third with their ex-player suggesting Declan Rice should look to take more of a role if Odegaard isn't playing. Parlour added on talkSPORT : “He’s got the vision, he’s got that creativity.
If you look at the midfield area, you’ve got [Thomas] Partey, Declan Rice when he’s playing, [Mikel] Merino’s come into the side as well, very similar players, really. "All very good players, don’t get me wrong. I’d like to see Declan get forward a little bit more when Partey plays.
But if Odegaard’s in there, he’s that player who takes the ball in tight little situations. He sees a pass, he creates chances." Arsenal welcomed Odegaard back in midweek when he came off the bench for the final minutes in their Champions League defeat at Inter Milan.
The Norwegian could now play more of a role this weekend when they visit Chelsea . Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners.
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