19 hours Ago By Phil Haigh
Paul Scholes thinks the Arsenal skipper needs to bring more to the table (Picture: Getty Images)Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard must ‘step up’ and win tight games for his team, believes Manchester United legend Paul Scholes.The Norwegian played the whole game on Sunday as the Red Devils and Gunners played out a 1-1 draw at Old Trafford.Bruno Fernandes opened the scoring for the home team just before half-time, with Declan Rice equalising after 74 minutes to secure a point which doesn’t do much for either side, in reality.
Arsenal remain second in the Premier League table, but are now 15 points behind leaders Liverpool, while United stay 14th.Both teams will feel they could have won the game on Sunday and Scholes feels Odegaard should be the kind of player who can get his side over the line in tight contests like the one at Old Trafford.Get personalised updates on Manchester United every dayWake up to find news on your club in your inbox every morning with Metro’s Football Newsletter.
Sign up to our newsletter and then select your team in the link so we can send you football news tailored to you. The Red Devils icon believes this of the 26-year-old because he is a big fan of his game, but reckons this needs to translate into more game-changing and goal-scoring contributions.‘Odegaard, again, was an influence on the team, but I think he needs to step up in these types of games, where you might just need the one goal, you might just need that bit of brilliance,’ Scholes told Premier League Productions.
‘We’ve seen people in his position – you think of [Kevin] De Bruyne, Phil Foden – they win games for you.Martin Odegaard has scored just two Premier League goals this season (Picture:Getty Images)‘Martin Odegaard’s a brilliant footballer, I love to watch him, [he’s] technically gifted. But, at some point, he’s got to come and win these games for his club.
’Scholes also had an incredible mix of compliments and shade for Arsenal, hailing them as a brilliant team but one which reminds him of a mid-table La Liga side.His thinking was that the Gunners knock the ball around beautifully, but lack the cutting edge to do damage on a regular enough basis to get hold of silverware.The former England midfielder was not pointing the finger at Odegaard this time, but Arsenal’s lack of a prolific striker.
‘What it is with Arsenal, I think they’re a brilliant football team, but they’re almost like a mid-table Spanish team,’ he said. ‘Like a La Liga team who receive the ball, they play great football, make great angles for each other,a little bit tippy-tappy at times, but they’ve got no real substance at the end of it.Odegaard did score twice in Arsenal’s 7-1 romp at PSV (Picture: Getty Images)‘If you’re going to win leagues, if you’re going to win Champions Leagues, you’ve got to have that bit of brilliance sometimes in the middle of the goal from a centre-forward.
Whether it’s a little bit of subtlety with a bit of movement, whether it’s a rebound off a keeper. Somebody sniffing with them instincts.‘They play brilliant football.
They’re second in the league, they’re in the Champions League. I wish my team were as bad as Arsenal!‘A very good, very attractive looking Spanish team that just can’t quite get over the line.’Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta admitted he was frustrated with how the game went at Old Trafford, feeling that it went pretty much to plan, other than the result.
Mikel Arteta admits his team are lacking cutting edge at times (Picture: Getty Images)‘I’m very frustrated that we didn’t win the game because that’s how we prepared for it,’ he said. ‘I think we were really good in the first half in terms of dominance, in our high press, dealing with direct play, getting out of the press and arriving to the last 20 metres. ‘Then we lacked to put the knife through with more decisive actions, more accuracy in that ball to threaten more.
‘We had two or three big moments without giving them nothing, then in one long ball we don’t manage the recovery ball in the right way. We make a foul and you have to rely on the quality of the position. They have one chance, they score and from there, it’s game on.
That gives them momentum, belief and energy.’.
