Before every game at Emirates Stadium, Martin Odegaard lifts the lid on the mood in the camp via his captain’s notes published in the matchday programme.
Ahead of tonight's game against Crystal Palace, our captain reflects on how close we could be to silverware with a win, helping Max Dowman recover from his injury setback and sharing the Christmas spirit around the community. Here is a snippet:
When you get to the last eight of a cup competition, you can start to smell the final, and we are determined to take the next step tonight.
It’s a bit unusual that the draw has already been made, and we know we will face Chelsea in the next round if we can win tonight, but that doesn’t make any difference to how we approach this game. Our focus is just on winning this one because we all know how good a team Crystal Palace are. They have given us plenty of good battles in recent times, and they are having a really good season again. So we will have to be at our best to win this one, completely ready, and we will do everything to get through.
In this competition things can go really quickly, and if we can win this one tonight, then all of a sudden you feel close to the chance of a trophy. So that’s a big motivation for this one, we are one step away from a semi-final. Let’s make the most of the opportunity because we are here to win trophies.
We have had two good wins already in the competition this season, with a few of our young players getting the chance to show what they can do. Unfortunately Max Dowman has picked up an injury since the last round, but the good news is he's still around the training ground every day, so we are all there to help him and make sure he gets back as soon as possible even stronger.
We’ve got a lot of experience within the squad, and we are all here for each other and of course that includes Max. He’s doing well though, he’s in good hands and looks determined to come back soon.
Last week the whole squad were involved in visits to the community ahead of Christmas, and I visited the Royal Free Hospital in London. It’s a beautiful thing to be able to do, and we do it every December. It’s really meaningful, and as players it's a very important day for us. We connect with people who are in a difficult position, or struggling with things at the moment.
We get a lot of energy from it, too, and it’s a good reminder that we have the ability to make people happy. It’s a great feeling to be able to help people who are in a tough place.
As a father myself, it brings a different perspective. You think a lot more about it, and when you see other parents with kids in hospital over Christmas, you really feel for them. You can put yourself in their position, and it certainly makes it really emotional. So it’s great that as a club we do things like this, and just by being there we can make a difference, that’s so rewarding for everyone.
Finally, I want to wish you all a really happy Christmas. I know that football is really important in this country at this time of year, and a lot of people really look forward to the games. So on behalf of the squad, we hope you have a great day on Thursday, and thanks again for your brilliant support, home and away.
Read the rest of Martin's notes, as well as a host of other fantastic content, by buying the Arsenal v Crystal Palace programme either around the stadium oronline, or subscribe to get every editiondelivered to your door.
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