Arsenal’s Premier League title push could be about to face a major test after Declan Rice was forced off with a worrying injury scare in midweek, placing his availability for the weekend in serious doubt. With the Gunners five points clear at the summit and heading into a crucial run of fixtures, any absence for their midfield general would come at the worst possible time.
Rice has been the heartbeat of Arteta’s side this season - dictating tempo, winning duels, and providing the physical presence that allows Arsenal’s attacking talents to thrive further forward.
But if Rice is ruled out, Arsenal’s entire midfield dynamic changes. And in a twist of timing, it also puts the spotlight straight back on a captain who is already under intense scrutiny. Martin Odegaard’s recent performances have divided opinion, with accusations that he slows the game and struggles to impose himself physically.
Without Rice alongside him to control transitions and protect against turnovers, the responsibility on Odegaard to drive Arsenal forward would increase dramatically - and with it, the pressure on both player and manager.
Declan Rice Injury Scare Changes Everything for Arsenal
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Rice picked up his injury during Arsenal’s narrow 2-0 win over Brentford at the Emirates, a match in which Arteta rotated heavily but still leaned on key leaders to guide a much-changed side. While full details of the issue remain under assessment, early concerns centre around his availability for the weekend, with Arsenal medical staff now in a race against time to have him fit.
His importance to this Arsenal side cannot be overstated. Rice is not just a defensive shield - he is the platform for Arsenal’s entire control game. When he plays, Arsenal dominate territory, recycle possession quickly, and suffocate opponents between the lines. When he doesn’t, the structure becomes fragile. The press loses bite. The defence becomes exposed. And crucially, Arsenal lose their physical edge in midfield battles.
If Rice does miss out, the most likely internal replacement would be a combination involving Jorginho or a deeper-lying pivot system that pushes Martin Odegaard even further into creative responsibility. That’s where the wider conversation becomes unavoidable. With Arsenal chasing their first league title in over two decades, Arteta must decide whether to double down on his under-fire captain or make a bolder tactical call to protect the team’s tempo and intensity.
Why This Puts Martin Odegaard Under the Microscope Again
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For all of Arsenal’s collective progress, Odegaard’s individual impact has been increasingly questioned in recent weeks. Against Brentford, despite wearing the armband and operating in his preferred advanced midfield role, the Norway international struggled to impose himself on the game. His passing accuracy may have hovered around 89 per cent, but much of that came from safe sideways and backwards distribution rather than decisive progressive play.
That becomes far more damaging if Rice is absent. With less midfield control behind him, Odegaard would be tasked not only with creativity but also with dictating the rhythm of Arsenal’s play. The problem, as critics see it, is that he currently slows that rhythm rather than accelerating it. In a side built on fast transitions, aggressive pressing, and vertical attacking patterns, that stylistic conflict is becoming harder to ignore.
The loss of Rice would also reduce Arsenal’s physical dominance in central areas - an area where Odegaard already struggles. He lost five of his six duels against Brentford, a stat that only fuels doubts about his ability to cope when matches become attritional. If Arsenal are forced into a more technical midfield without Rice’s ball-winning presence, the margin for error narrows dramatically.
Fan Criticism Grows Louder as Pressure Builds
Supporter reaction in the aftermath of the Brentford game was telling. While Arsenal maintained their unbeaten streak, frustration at the captain’s influence spilled across social media. One fan summed it up bluntly: “No coincidence that Martin Odegaard is back in the team and the tempo is gone - five touches before passing is killing us.”
Others echoed the sentiment, with one adding: “Odegaard slows the game down so much,” while another highlighted his midfield struggles by pointing to his failure in physical contests. What makes this criticism more significant is that it comes during a title race, when tolerance levels drop and every performance is magnified.
Two early-season injury setbacks for Odegaard have disrupted his rhythm, but the expectation on a captain is to lead regardless of context. When Arsenal need speed, urgency, and authority in possession, the feeling among sections of the fanbase is that he currently provides caution rather than conviction.
Captaincy Questions and Arteta’s Defining Decision
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Rice has quietly been tipped in some circles as a future Arsenal captain - a reflection of his leadership, consistency, and influence since arriving at the club. An injury absence now would not only test Arsenal’s structure but also sharpen the contrast between two very different leadership profiles in midfield.
If Rice is injured and Odegaard struggles, Arteta faces a defining decision. Does he persist with his long-term captain despite form concerns? Or does he adapt his system to lessen Odegaard’s influence on tempo in favour of greater intensity and verticality? With Eberechi Eze waiting in the wings and capable of injecting urgency and directness, the alternatives are increasingly difficult to ignore.
For now, everything hinges on Rice’s scan results. But whatever the outcome, this injury scare has reignited a deeper debate at Arsenal: who truly sets the tone in a title-winning team - and whether Martin Odegaard is still the right man to carry that responsibility as the pressure reaches its peak.