Martin Odegaard offered thoughts on the North London derby and the clash with Bayern Munich.
**Arsenal**thrashed **Tottenham**4-1 without their club captain thanks to a hat trick from Eberechi Eze, and the Emirates Stadium now sets the stage for a showdown with a bogey team in the form of the Bavarians. These two sides sit at the top of the table, and it promises to be a high quality encounter.
“I was so disappointed not to be involved in the squad for the derby. I had been working really hard all week to be ready for it, but unfortunately, I wasn’t quite ready by Sunday. I’m getting close now and games like that just make me even more determined to come back. I thought we were brilliant.
“We dominated the game early on, and as soon as Leo put us ahead, we took control and looked dangerous every time we went forward. And what a day for Ebs! That performance was just incredible, three brilliant finishes for the goals and it’s a game he will never forget.
“Tonight against Bayern Munich is another huge game of course, between the top two teams in the Champions League table after four matches, so it’s massive for both clubs. This is as big as it gets at this stage, it’s a proper test and a game that everyone is really excited to play. Bayern are one of the best teams in Europe at the moment, and probably the most consistent.
“Apart from one draw, away to Union Berlin just before the international break, they have won every game they have played this season in every competition. It’s an amazing record of winning games so that tells you all you need to know about their quality.
“So it’s a massive game, and I think it’s made even bigger because everyone has in their mind what happened in the Champions League two years ago, when they knocked us out, but the main thing for us is to keep up our form in this competition.
“We have been so strong so far, winning all four games and not conceding. Last time out at Slavia Prague I thought we looked really strong again. Again we kept a clean sheet, and I loved seeing the reaction at the end when Slavia’s penalty was overturned by VAR. You can tell how much that clean sheet meant to all of our players. The defenders absolutely love it, and David as well.
“We are proud of our defensive record in this competition, and to be fair, it’s something the whole team have pride in – not just the defence. I go into games wanting to keep a clean sheet in every game we play. That’s the mindset because it makes it a lot easier to win games when you keep a clean sheet.
“That’s always the goal but we looked good going forward in Prague as well, despite missing a few of our attacking players. We found a way to win – Mikel Merino delivering two goals. It just sums up our team at the moment: there is always someone ready to step up and take that responsibility.
*“Maybe we were struggling a little bit in the beginning of the game but we found a way to win. It made it four wins in a row to start the Champions League, and we want to stay solid and be on top form in every game because that is crucial in this format.”*