Arsenal’s struggles in the press highlight Martin Ødegaard and Viktor Gyökeres’ importance

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·10 novembre 2025

Arsenal’s struggles in the press highlight Martin Ødegaard and Viktor Gyökeres’ importance

Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal have become synonymous with defensive resilience in recent years. Excluding the recent 2-2 draw against Sunderland, the Gunners were on an exceptional defensive run, winning eight consecutive games without conceding a goal.

The central defensive partnership of Gabriel and William Saliba has rightly received plenty of praise. The pair are among the best defenders in European football and are at the heart of everything positive Arsenal do at the back. That said, the team as a collective deserves just as much credit for the coherence they’ve shown this season.

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Defending from the front

One of football’s most popular sayings is that defending starts from the front, and Arsenal have embodied that mantra under Arteta. The Gunners boast one of the most effective pressing structures in world football, and two players in particular have been key to making it work.

Those two lead the press with relentless energy, constantly switching roles to close down passing lanes, press centre-backs, and chase every lost cause to keep the team on the front foot. This approach not only protects the defence but also ensures Arsenal maintain a stranglehold on their opponents.

Martin Ødegaard has been the cornerstone of Arsenal’s press since his arrival, and along with recent signing Viktor Gyökeres, he has led from the front admirably this term – at least until both were sidelined through injury.

Odegaard (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)

The pressing problem without key leaders

Ødegaard has missed several matches through injury, and although Arsenal initially coped thanks to Gyökeres’ tireless work rate, the Swede’s recent absence has further weakened the press.

It was less noticeable in the 3-0 win over Slavia Prague, but it became evident in the 2-2 draw at the Stadium of Light. Mikel Merino and Eberechi Eze are technically gifted players capable of moments of individual brilliance, but they lack the pace and athleticism required to sustain Arsenal’s pressing intensity.

Without Ødegaard, Gyökeres, or even Kai Havertz in the side, the press often looked laboured, and Sunderland capitalised by playing out comfortably from the back on multiple occasions.

This only further underlines the calibre of players Arsenal are currently missing – and how vital Ødegaard and Gyökeres are to the way Arteta’s side function both defensively and offensively.

Let’s get talking, Gooners. Did you notice how slow the press was against Sunderland?

Benjamin Kenneth

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