Martin Odegaard has offered thoughts on the last pair of Premier League victories for Arsenal: a dramatic 1-0 win over West Ham followed up by a 1-0 triumph against Burnley on home soil.
‘It was a special day to help the team’
The club captain came on as a second half substitute at the London Stadium against an outfit desperate to avoid relegation to the second tier. Mateus Fernandes had nearly handed the hosts the lead, but it would be the Gunners to get the only goal of the game, and Odegaard had a huge role.
“This is a special time for everyone – we know what we’re playing for, so let’s go and take another important step. It’s our last home game of the season and we are all so excited because there is a lot to play for in the next two weeks. It’s one game at a time of course, but there’s a lot to look forward to.
“We have put ourselves in this position after a lot of work from so many people over the whole season – we have a great opportunity now, and we are ready.
“I came on for the last half hour, and it’s a bit different when you come on during a game as intense as that. But there are positive sides to it, too. You come with fresher legs and also you’ve been able to analyse the game and see what’s needed from the sidelines. But more than anything, for me, it was just that feeling that I wanted to get on the pitch and do something. I was desperate to help the team.
“It’s obviously been a really frustrating time for me recently with the injuries, so in the end it was a special day to help the team in that way in a massive moment, and also for my body to feel good. I was just so happy afterwards. It means a lot to me to be able to help in that way.
“Playing the pass for Leandro Trossard to score the goal felt great, and he’s a top finisher in those situations. We see that every day in training, he’s so sharp. He knows how to be in the right positions and scores many big goals for us. Leo is such a crucial player for us and is definitely one of the guys you want on the ball in that situation. I found him with the pass, and he did really well to finish it off.
*“But there was still a lot of drama after that! It was one of the craziest ends to a game I’ve known. The VAR review was long, and there were a lot of nerves for both teams. It was a massive call for the referees [to disallow the equaliser from **Callum Wilson*], so I think you have to respect that as well.
“As captain I just tried to speak to the referee in a calm way, and find out what was going on and what happened in the box. You can’t really do anything about it in that situation. You just have to wait.
“There’s no point in going crazy or anything. I tried to say calmly what we felt was wrong and then wait for their decision. Also you need to keep your focus because if the goal is given, you have to keep playing and try to get another goal. You need to stay calm and not lose your head.”
‘We want to take the trophies home’
Odegaard then took the place of Myles Lewis-Skelly in the midfield unit for the contest against the Clarets. The right side shone in phases in attack, while Leandro Trossard and Riccardo Calafiori continue to excel as a left sided tandem, but the standout feature of the side is the defensive unit.
After Kai Havertz headed home a Bukayo Saka corner, there was little of offensive note in terms of clear-cut opportunities for the Gunners, especially in the final half hour. However, the visitors could not register a single shot on target as their opponents kept their 19th clean sheet this league campaign.
“Tonight it’s all about us and getting our approach right. We need to put on a performance and we’re going to be ready for that. We’ll just focus on ourselves, keep going the way we’ve done for a while.
“It's been an amazing season so far. We have one big one left here and then the Champions League final. We want to take the trophies home. Just a little bit to go now and we are going to give it our all. We have to keep going.
"I can promise you [the fans] all that we give everything we have every single day, and we are going to keep going until the very end. With your support we are going to be ready.
"The fans have been amazing, especially these last two home games arriving at the stadium and seeing everything outside. The atmosphere inside here is amazing. Let's get ready for the last two."