Tony Adams, a former captain, leader, and legend of Arsenal, would love to see the team win their first Premier League title since 2004. However, he has scepticism about one of the key figures in their camp, saying the Gunners "are not going to win the league with Martin Odegaard as captain."
‘He's got standards, he's got principles’
Adams came out with a firm statement about who should be wearing the armband for the Gunners.
Odegaard received the captaincy in the summer of 2022 when Alexandre Lacazette left the club. The attacking midfielder had two brilliant seasons as the creator before a year when his standards slipped.
“I think he's got a big call to make this year and for me he hasn't done it. The call is to make Declan Rice the captain for a couple of reasons. Declan is my kind of captain and what it might do, it might free Martin Odegaard up to play with a bit more freedom. He had an average season last year.”
Meanwhile, Rice has excelled in a series of roles in the two years he has been in North London.
“I can see it in the man that he is a proper player and a proper captain. I would have done it, but Arteta's not done it. I'm being critical of Arteta at the moment. Big managers go you're my man now.”
The Englishman has led by example, even without the armband, but that is not enough for Adams.
“You have to put someone to take it to the next level. I think Rice is better than Arteta. He's a winner. He's good in the dressing room around the training camp. He's got standards, he's got principles.”
The incident that might indicate what Adams means is the first free kick from the 3-0 victory over Real Madrid at the Emirates Stadium. Odegaard passed on orders from the dugout for the set-piece, but Bukayo Saka backed Rice to pull rank and follow through on the opening he saw to shoot.
“I'm seeing Declan Rice as a captain, but I am saying to Arteta, come on, step up now. It's your time to be a winning manager. You are not going to win the league with Odegaard as captain. I'm sorry.”
Adams has also raised questions about the role that Arteta is assigning to Rice in his tactical blueprint.
The 26-year-old is an excellent ground-eater, has strong stamina, and reads the game intelligently to screen the back four. He is a stable passer, and in the absence of Thomas Partey, he excelled in the first half of his debut campaign in a deep role before becoming more of a box-to-box midfielder.
Rice's running ahead of the ball, set-pieces, and goals have shown he can be an all-action midfielder. Maybe it is just a case of letting him do it all and not shoehorning him into the position of a six or an eight: Adams certainly suggested the manager might benefit from not dictating his duties on the field.
“Arteta has played him on as a number eight. I would have said I'm not going to play there. I'm going to play in front of the back four. This is me. This is Arsenal, I'm a Patrick Vieira, a Manu Petit and it's my best position. Arteta's dominated him, pushed him into this position and he's gone along with it.”
‘He has an opportunity to turn into a winner’
It comes across harshly, but Odegaard is something of a fair-weather player. When the sun is shining and the team are in their rhythm, he enriches the system with his creativity. But he has never been a bruiser or a solo artist, and the times that he can 'hide' are too frequent for the legend to stomach.
“It's going to be a rotation job. You’ll get the same mentality of sometimes him and that one to come out and that one to go in. You've got someone that's going to play every game all season to encourage people and lay the foundations of a title winning team. Declan Rice can do that. Odegaard cannot.”
The 58-year-old offered his thoughts on another key pillar for successful sides: the number nine.
The board has brought in Viktor Gyökeres as the striker to fire the team to glory. They will feel they are taking a reasonable bet by spending £64 million on a man who scored 97 times in 102 games for Sporting. But Adams argued the top target should have been a Premier League proven forward.
*“The lad from Portugal is not known yet. He is untried and tested. I would like to have seen him got Ollie Watkins. He’s a Gooner. He might have given us a year and we might have won a league title.”*
Adams reflected on the last time that the Gunners got their hands on a major honour. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, whom Arteta forced out of the club, bagged a brace in the 2020 **FA Cup**final to beat Chelsea. However, going the distance in the fight for the league title is a different beast altogether.
*“He has an opportunity this year to turn into a winner. He’s been there five years, got great success at the start with a very defensive team. We didn't have the forwards. We defended in numbers. We did not defend well. They defended as a unit, got everyone behind the ball. We went and nicked the FA Cup.”*
For the old club captain, it is about the image that the leader of the group gives off about the culture.
There is no sign that the Norwegian, who has been the only creative presence to earn a lot of minutes in a central role, will fade into the background. But in tough moments, players have to take ownership and wrestle wins with their own hands, and Adams does not feel Odegaard is that type of personality.
*“To win league titles, you have to be a Jurgen Klopp, you have to be a Sir Alex Ferguson, you have to lead by example, you have to be a winner, you have to go about your business. That reflects in your captain. And by making Odegaard a captain, he's a reflection of Arteta. And I can really see that.”*