Tottenham vs Arsenal: Martin Odegaard's incredible stats as North London Derby looms
Football fans are so often fretting during the international break. There are concerns that their player will pull up while away with their respective national teams, a fear that was realised by Arsenal supporters this week. While the Gunners faithful breathed a sigh of relief when it was confirmed that Riccardo Calafiori's calf issue sustained in the win over France wasn't as bad as initially feared, the same cannot be said of skipper Martin Odegaard.
Odegaard was on the receiving end of a Christoph Baumgartner tackle midway through the second half of Norway's 2-1 win over Austria on Monday night. It was a challenge that forced the midfielder off, and heightened concerns over his potential unavailability for Sunday's North London Derby meeting with rivals Tottenham.
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"He got a small ankle sprain," Norway team doctor Ola Sand said after the UEFA Nations League win. Pictures of Odegaard requiring crutches to board a plane to return to London will have done little to allay fears. Scans will determine how long Odegaard is sidelined for but the likelihood is that he'll sit out the short trip to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this weekend, which is a huge blow.
With Declan Rice suspended and Mikel Merino not yet ready to make his first appearance following his arrival from Real Sociedad, Arsenal are light in midfield. The absence of Rice and Merino can be covered but it's Odegaard's injury that very much hinders Arsenal's chance of claiming all the spoils this weekend.
Arsenal have won their last two trips to Tottenham, so should fancy their chances of a third successive away victory at their rivals, but without Odegaard pulling the strings in the middle of the park; their chances of another huge three points decreases significantly. Indeed, the stats since the start of last season reinforce Odegaard's importance to this Arsenal side.
Over that time, Odegaard ranks top for accurate through balls (23) and chances created from open play (93). While he has just 10 assists to his name over that period, the Norwegian is clearly capable of prying apart a defence in the blink of an eye, and Arsenal will miss this quality to his game should he sit out Sunday's game. That's contributed to a WhoScored rating of 7.37, the third best of Arsenal players since the beginning of 2023/24.
Martin Ødegaard in the Premier League since the start of last season:
— WhoScored.com (@WhoScored) September 10, 2024
◉ Most accurate through balls (23)
◉ Most times possession won in attacking third (44)
◉ Most chances created from open play (93)
Will Arsenal cope without their skipper for Sunday's #NorthLondonDerby? 🫥 pic.twitter.com/z90LXVnqhc
And it's not just Odegaard's impressive work on the ball that catches the eye. The Norway international presses high up the pitch to force turnovers in a key area, presenting chances for Arsenal as a result. Since the start of last season, Odegaard has won possession in the attacking third more times (44) than any other player in the Premier League, a metric that teammate Bukayo Saka (41) ranks second for.
The least supporters can hope for is that Odegaard will be out for weeks rather than months. With the Champions League returning next week and meetings with Manchester City and PSG looming, to lose Odegaard for the next month or so could prove detrimental to their seasonal goals such is his importance to Mikel Arteta's Arsenal side.
