It is often claimed that the captain is the beating heart that a team completely embodies and it was certainly the case with Martin Odegaard and Arsenal against Paris Saint-Germain. Both were underwhelming.
The semi-final loss of the Champions League in North London was not the display that was considered after the high standards set by the quarter-finals triumph over Real Madrid. It was the biggest match in Arsenal of the season and the performance of the skipper of the Gunners were alarming.
The Norwegian did not succeed in having a chance and only created one chance, even though it was the creative support point of the Arsenal team. His influence was summarized by only four forward passes all games – his midfield partners in Mikel Merino and Declan Rice succeeded 20.
But Odegaard's ineffective performance was not a complete surprise – there have been worries about the level of the midfielder for some time.
The Norwegian went almost 300 days without a goal from Open Play for Club and Country between April 2024 and February of this year.
Odegaard ended that run with two goals in three games against Dinamo Zagreb and Manchester City, but his creativity is now being examined. Since breaking that goal ducks, his only Premier League assists have come through two set pieces and one casual touch for the goal of Leandro Trossard at Ipswich.
This is the same player who scored 15 Premier League goals in the 2022/23 season, while his 10 Top-Flight Assists previous term was improved by only two players.
This season he has five goals and eight assists in the Premier League and Champions League – with a handful of matches to remedy this.
Close observers of the Arsenal captain will know that Odegaard's game is not only limited to goals and assists. There are better ways to show the influence of the 26-year-old on his team.
Odegaard still ranks joint -top of the Premier League, next to Mohamed Salah, for fitting every 90 minutes to a shot – ie. Playing the ball that leads to an attempt within two fits. He is also an important part of the Arsenal press – as shown against PSG on Thursday.
While the French side dominated for the first half hour with the Emirates, Mikel Arteta changed its urgent form from a 4-4-2 to a 4-2-3-1 and Merino moved further back to intercept balls.
The Mid game Switch of the Arsenal manager was communicated to the team via Odegaard and underlined his important role as a connector between the manager and his players.
But although Arsenal needed those odgaard skills, they also had to take someone to take the game at the neck and wave the tide.
While Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice also hold that game-winning responsibility, Odegaard is the one with the bracelet and the way in which he is very involved in the structure and press highlights his control over the intensity of Arsenal.
And the figures point to a low point for Odegaard in terms of dribbling the ball and winning duels – two important parts of Arteta's Arsenal in terms of winning the ball and quickly moving on the field by transitions.
These figures coincide with the goal and creativity of Odegaard. When Odegaard scored 15 Premier League goals two seasons ago, he also completed a considerably higher number of dribbles and duels. The two different types of numbers go hand in hand.
There are several suspected reasons why Odegaard immerses these statistics. The lack of six weeks at the start of the season due to an ankle injury – plus a longer than usual disease during the festive period – may have put him out of the rhythm. For all current criticism of his versions, his absence has been felt when it is not available.
There is also the instability around him on the field, with the injuries to Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus who present a lack of a natural center output to finish.
Even the suspension for Thomas Partey against PSG meant that Arsenal had to change both of the midfield positions around Odegaard. But instead of being the leader, Odegaard looked the lost, while Rice and Merino performed well in midfield.
Everyone knows the full potential of Odegaard, but in the case of this season it will wait until he pops up when Arsenal needs him, with time at the Gunners campaign.
“We're going to go there,” said Odegaard about next week's next week's semi-final stage at PSG, the game that will define the Arsenal season. But there are doubts about how much is still in his tank.