Odegaard's outburst at Saka summed him up during Arsenal's win at Crystal Palace
Martin Odegaard was every inch Arsenal's inspirational captain away at Crystal Palace on Monday night.
The creative midfielder and Gunners skipper was the match-winner after he stepped up to send Sam Johnstone the wrong way from the penalty spot after Eddie Nketiah was brought down by the Eagles goalkeeper. However, it wasn’t just his goalscoring heroics that stood Arsenal in good stead.
Odegaard isn’t famed for being a particularly vocal leader, but Bukayo Saka may disagree with that theory after he was berated by the Norway international midway through the first-half at Selhurst Park. the incident came during a period of sustained pressure that saw the hosts peg their visitors back into their defensive third.
With a number of Palace attackers mounting down Saka’s side, it was Odegaard trying the hardest to force a mistake and a turnover in possession. When the Arsenal captain looked up and saw his team-mate stationary, he let rip at the 21-year-old and gestured frantically, urging the Gunners number seven to join him in the press.
The sight of Odegaard furiously waving his arms was eerily reminiscent of the way Gunners boss Mikel Arteta so often conducts himself on the touchline. The Spaniard kicks every ball and having done so again in South London, he’ll have been delighted to see his skipper relaying his message so passionately on the pitch.
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Aaron Ramsdale has previously claimed that Odegaard is very much a teacher’s pet when it comes to the Gunners dressing room. The decision to name the Norwegian as Arsenal captain may have raised eyebrows at the time, but he has silenced any nay-sayers in emphatic fashion.
Arteta has previously waxed lyrical over what sets Odegaard apart from other players and provided an insight into why he named the former Real Madrid man as captain this time last year.
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Martin Odegaard did not shy away from shouting at team-mates (Getty Images)“His self-demand is brutal,” the Gunners boss told Marca. “He understands everything very well and learns quickly. We help him by giving him responsibility and confidence by making him a captain. I told him: ‘with this [role] will come more demands and your ability to transmit will be the key. Be you.”
Arteta even praised the fact that the decision for Odegaard to take the penalty against Palace, rather than usual taker Saka, was a decision made on the pitch by the players that even took him by surprise.
It’s not just his behaviour on the pitch, Odegaard is seemingly relishing all aspects of being a leader and showcased his team spirit with a touching gesture for crocked new colleague Jurrien Timber.
Both before and after the game, Odegaard led the way and held up Timber’s shirt in a team photo to show support for the Dutchman after he sustained an anterior cruciate ligament injury on his league debut that ended his season after just 48 minutes.
The win at Palace was far from pretty, but not every victory is. With their captain at his talismanic, disciplined best and keeping others in line, expect plenty more hard-fought three points for Arsenal this season.
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