Arsenal remain clearly in the driver’s seat in the Premier League title race this season, but they continue to have frustrating results against one of the weaker sides in the Premier League, Nottingham Forest.
The Gunners dropped points with a very poor attacking performance against Sean Dyche’s side on Saturday evening, drawing 0-0 while showing no real threat as Mikel Arteta rested his key starters on the wings.
There were a number of disappointing individual performances on the attacking end, but no single player earned more criticism from fans than captain and No. 10 Martin Odegaard.
Ever since the injuries of last season and his ghosting against PSG in the Champions League semifinals, the Norwegian midfielder’s stock has fallen to a point where Arsenal themselves are wondering if Odegaard is truly a world class player or if he is a mediocre top level player who looks great when a team is not trying to reach the elite level.
Odegaard was horrible against Forest. He created nothing of note for his teammates and was invisible, often taking himself foolishly out of dangerous positions while not even offering solidity deeper.
It got to a point where, after the game, many Arsenal fans are now asking manager Mikel Arteta to give summer signing Eberechi Eze more starts in games like this one against Forest where things get tough.
Odegaard has been great when given space against easier opponents, but when facing top defenses, he has not been able to muck it in with the opposition and rise the occasion to be an X-Factor.
Arsenal fans are noticing Eze has more of that dog in him and brings more fight and scrap, and while Eze’s numbers outside of the North London Derby have been underwhelming, that display against Tottenham Hotspur, as well as his entire Crystal Palace career, are a reminder of what he can bring to the table.
Maybe Arseanl need to give Eze more starts and momentum to get back to that level after an adjustment period, because, quite frankly, what Odegaard has supplied over the past two seasons is honestly nowhere near good enough.
Joe Soriano is the editor of The Trivela Effect and a FanSided Hall of Famer who has covered world football since 2010. He’s led top digital communities like The Real Champs (Real Madrid) and has run sites covering Tottenham, Liverpool, Juventus, and Schalke. He also helped manage NFL Spin Zone and Daily DDT, covering the NFL and pro wrestling.