West Ham United (2) 2 v Arsenal (5) 5
By Kaz Mochlinski at the London Stadium
67 days and 12 games. That is how long Martin Ødegaard was missing from Arsenal’s side at the start of this season. In his case, the saying that absence makes the heart grow fonder is undoubtedly accurate.
Until being sidelined by injury, it is questionable whether the Gunners captain was appreciated as much as he should be. The impact of his return has definitely changed the viewpoints of those who had not noticed the superstar in their midst.
When he came back into the Arsenal starting XI for the first time since August, the team was on a run of four consecutive Premier League games without a win. Now that he is playing again, they have been transformed.
The Gunners have gone four matches unbeaten in all competitions, starting with a creditable 1-1 draw at Chelsea and followed by three successive wins in which they have scored 13 goals.
To get five goals in two testing away matches in a row in the space of five days, at Sporting Clube de Portugal and West Ham United, would have been highly unlikely without Ødegaard’s involvement.
Arsenal regaining form has completely coincided with Ødegaard’s return to fitness. Indeed, the Gunners have not lost a Premier League match in which he has featured this season, winning four and drawing two.
Perhaps only Cole Palmer at Chelsea can equal Ødegaard at the moment for the excitement he generates among watching fans and the frequency with which he gets supporters out of their seats in awe.
The Norwegian’s transfer from Real Madrid is maybe one of the most undervalued of recent years. He cost just €35 million, which is a remarkably low amount for a player who was always expected to be one of his generation’s most outstanding talents.
And Ødegaard unequivocally did not want to leave Real Madrid, initially moving to London only on a 6-month loan in the January transfer window to get some playing time before heading back to Spain.
The titanic tussle with Manchester United coming up on Wednesday night will be a landmark for him again as it was in a home league game against the same opponents that he made his Arsenal debut early in 2021.
Within days he was scoring world-class goals and within a month he was winning the club’s best player award. He enjoyed playing regularly so much that the Arsenal hierarchy were amazingly able to somehow persuade him to sign permanently that summer.
For just his second full season Ødegaard was already appointed as the club captain. Inside Arsenal there is a conviction that they have the best leader on the pitch and the most articulate spokesman off the field in the entire Premier League.
The Gunners’ head coach Mikel Arteta is certainly not hiding his admiration for Ødegaard and the impact which he has on this Arsenal side, enthusing: “He takes everyone else’s game to a different universe.”
That is particularly relevant for Bukayo Saka, Arsenal’s other exceptional star, who is both fed possession by Ødegaard and also given space by his captain’s movement taking away the attention of defenders.
Their link-up for the Gunners’ second goal at West Ham was a piece of breathtakingly beautiful football, with Ødegaard’s brilliant chip over the defence and Saka’s perfectly-timed run into the penalty area, leaving an open net for Leandro Trossard to finish into.
Saka contributed to four of Arsenal’s five first-half goals against West Ham, taking the corner for the opener, providing the pass for the second, winning the penalty for the third, and scoring from the spot for 2-5.
Interestingly, Ødegaard, Saka, and Arteta’s third key player in Declan Rice have started just six matches together so far this season in all competitions. Inevitably, the Gunners are undefeated with four wins and two draws when all three are in the side.
Ødegaard’s ankle injury was followed by a hamstring strain for Saka in October and Rice suffering a broken toe more recently in November. No wonder the team was not getting the same results without them.
If the trio can now stay fit then there is hope for Arsenal fans that they could still achieve something very special. And perhaps the best is yet to come, as Ødegaard and Rice are only 25 years old, while Saka is just 23.
Rice’s role should not be undervalued either. He is a lovely character and was the last person to leave the stadium hours after the West Ham game, having found time to talk to everyone from his old club who wanted a moment with him.
Such characters are priceless in modern football. And in Ødegaard and Saka and Rice, Arsenal have got three of the very best around.