Why Arsenal have Martin Odegaard back from injury at an ‘ideal’ time for Mikel Arteta | OneFootball

Fit-again captain gives Gunners a major title boost

It has so far been a frustrating season for Martin Odegaard.

The Norwegian has been itching to return - using an anti-gravity running machine to speed up his rehabilitation - and is eager to make up for lost time.

“I guess that’s one of the good signs about being injured,” said Odegaard. “You get more hungry and more excited to play football again. That’s the good part of it, I’m desperate to get going again.”

Odegaard returned off the bench against Chelsea on Sunday after two months out

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In Odegaard’s absence, others have stepped up. Eberechi Eze, in particular, has excelled in midfield and scored a hat-trick against Tottenham in last month’s north London derby.

For the first time in his Arsenal career, Odegaard has genuine competition and it means his return from injury has been carefully managed.

The 26-year-old played nine minutes off the bench against Bayern Munich last Wednesday, before getting over half an hour under his belt at Chelsea at the weekend.

The next step is for Odegaard to start and tonight feels like the ideal make that jump.

Mikel Arteta is wary of the fact Arsenal come into this match off the back of three huge games against Tottenham, Bayern Munich and Chelsea.

In his press conference yesterday, he called on the Arsenal fans at Emirates Stadium to behave like “animals” and it is easy to see how this game could be a classic case of after the Lord Mayor’s show.

Bringing your captain into the team is a good way of stopping that, because no one will be more determined than Odegaard to make a point.

The frustration around his injuries is born out of the fact that they were both freak issues.

The shoulder problem came after Odegaard landed awkwardly on it, while the knee issue came after an innocuous clash with Crysencio Summerville when he tried to tackle the West Ham winger.

Odegaard will have a vital role for Arsenal in the title race

Arsenal FC via Getty Images

There is also the frustration that, in his fleeting appearances this season, Odegaard has looked in good form.

In Premier League games this season, no Arsenal player is averaging more passes in the final third or has a higher expected assists figure.

He played a key role off the bench in September as Arsenal came from behind to win at Newcastle. Three days after that, Odegaard was named man of the match in a 2-0 win over Olympiacos.

Arteta was full of praise for his captain in the wake of that victory, stressing the importance of his role to this team.

“I think that creativity is his nature,” he said. “It doesn’t bring any pressure to him as it is his best ability to generate things that not a lot of players can do.

“He has my total freedom from my side to explore and take risks and to feel the movement in how he generates spaces - and he has done that the last two games.”

Injury struck in the match after those comments, but now Arteta can continue with his plan to give “total freedom” to Odegaard.

It is an exciting prospect, not least because, unlike last season, Odegaard is surrounded by a new set of attacking weapons.

The impact of that has not been seen yet, though, as Odegaard has not had the chance to show how he will fit into Arsenal’s new-look attack.

He and Viktor Gyokeres, for example, have started together just five times. Eze and Odegaard just twice.

Arteta has explained this season how he views this deep squad as a puzzle, where he can change the shape at any moment.

Odegaard will want to return and remind everyone that he is the most important piece.