The end of Arsenal’s Carabao Cup final defeat against Manchester City may have left a bad taste in the mouth, but it also served as the latest reminder of one of the most important components of any elite team: the need for a creative attacking midfielder.
The timing of Eberechi Eze’s calf injury, which will keep him out for at least a month, compounded the absences of both Martin Odegaard and Mikel Merino. Without those three midfielders, Mikel Arteta had little way to change gears against City. But Odegaard is expected to resume full training soon, which will give Arteta midfield options — something he has not had as often as he would have liked this season.
Asked about forwards Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz returning at similar times in January, the Arsenal manager told reporters: “It helps the team, it helps every individual. We want to have the options with the amount of games that we have on the schedule.
“So far, we haven’t had that, so I’m looking forward to having everybody on it, being able to change profiles, to change during the game as well, and to pick the best players in the best condition every time.”
Arteta’s point on “changing profiles’ is arguably the most important, especially when viewed through a midfield lens. Eze, Odegaard and Merino are three differing profiles, and that works in Arsenal’s favour.
Eze’s willingness to shoot on sight was important during the first half of the season and has been a driving force behind his recent resurgence. His goal against Bayer Leverkusen may be the standout, but that attitude was important in building momentum, even without a goal, in Arsenal’s 2-0 win over Everton earlier this month.
Meanwhile, Merino’s knack for being in the right place at the right time helped him score crucial goals when all three of Arsenal’s recognised centre-forwards were out injured.
And while Odegaard’s playmaking skills have not been as present as in previous years, he has still contributed to vital Arsenal goals at different points in the season. It makes his return to fitness more highly anticipated; having Odegaard as ‘another profile’ could be crucial to Arsenal’s run-in.
The 4-0 win away to Leeds United in January was a perfect example. Havertz, playing behind Viktor Gyokeres, was part of a more physical approach in the first half before Odegaard arrived alongside Gabriel Jesus to add more intricacy to take the game away from the hosts, with the pair combining for Arsenal’s fourth goal.
Arsenal’s captain may rank 13th out of Arteta’s 24 players for minutes played in the Premier League (1,076) this season, but he still has the joint-most league assists at the club (five). Interestingly, Eze (1,419 minutes) and Merino (1,007 minutes) rank 12th and 14th for minutes played in the league at Arsenal.
Odegaard, pictured right, last featured in February’s North London derby (Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)
Despite playing just 38.6 per cent of the minutes available in the league, Odegaard is still one of Arsenal’s top contributors in attack.
On a per-90-minute basis, he ranks first for assists (0.42), second for chances created, including assists (2.5), chances created from open play (2.34), expected assists (0.24) and joint-second with Ben White for passes into the final third (8.1).
Without Eze’s shots from the edge of the box or Merino’s movement into it, the need for these types of passes as another avenue to pry open defences only increases.
Odegaard’s first assist of the season came from a corner, headed in by Gabriel away to Newcastle in September. But the spark was a threaded through ball into the final third for Myles Lewis-Skelly on the left…
Six separate injuries have meant that Odegaard’s incisive passing has only been seen in flashes rather than on a consistent basis.
The Norwegian’s last league start was in Arsenal’s 3-2 loss to Manchester United in late January, but his last commanding performance came away in the 3-2 win away to Bournemouth at the start of that month.
On his more familiar right side, he played a probing ball in behind for Bukayo Saka to chase. The pass not only cut through the Bournemouth back line but forced their goalkeeper and defence to rush into positions that left the goal — and Declan Rice — open to finish.
This type of pass is one that Saka has not received as often as in previous seasons, but it would help him become more threatening should Odegaard’s availability improve in the coming weeks.
The stop-start nature of Odegaard’s season has been a source of frustration, and not just because he has missed long periods. Injuries to key players often see their team-mates in similar positions becoming overloaded. Arteta has previously called this “buying a ticket” for more injuries when those overused players hit the red zone.
In midfield, Odegaard’s injuries have coincided with Arsenal’s near-constant use of Martin Zubimendi. The Spaniard has appeared in all 31 Premier League matches for Arsenal so far this season, playing 93 per cent of all possible minutes. In the one match he did not start, at home to West Ham, he still played an hour after replacing an injured Odegaard. That afternoon, Arteta started his captain alongside Eze and Rice in midfield, but has not fielded that combination since, despite saying he would like to after the game.
Arsenal have between 10 and 15 games left this season, depending on their progress in the FA Cup and Champions League. Considering how often knocks have set Odegaard back, his return may need similar care to what Havertz has experienced in the wake of two major injuries in 2025. But Odegaard has proven multiple times this season that he can make an impact off the bench, with three of his five league assists coming as a substitute.
The final months of the season would be the perfect time for Odegaard to remind everyone what he can provide, whether that be with his style of play or the different midfield combinations Arteta can deploy.
