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.
For the final time in 2025/26, the skipper discusses our huge victory at West Ham United, how he handled the VAR drama, how the team have been preparing with eight days between matches and the mood heading into the final home game of the campaign. Here is a snippet:
This is a special time for everyone – we know what we are playing for, so let’s go and take another important step tonight. 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, but it all starts with tonight’s game. We are prepared, we are ready and we want to get it done. It’s one game at a time of course, but there’s a lot to look forward to. Let’s enjoy it, and let’s really go for it.
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.
Let’s follow up the win at West Ham United last weekend. I came on for the last half hour, and it’s always 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.
Read more
Bench Cam: Arteta reacts to dramatic West Ham win
Playing the pass for Leo to score the goal felt great, and he’s a top finisher in those situations. We see that every single day in training, he’s so sharp. He knows how to be in the right positions and scores so 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, 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.
Read more
Preview: Arsenal v Burnley
It has been good to come into this game without a fixture for a week. We had some time to rest and focus ahead of this match. It was good to get the body and the mind freshened up and have a bit more time to prepare for the game, which is always an advantage at this stage of the season.
On Thursday we had a barbecue after training as well, with all the staff and families. It’s lovely to get all the kids and loved ones together. It shows that we are one big family and those moments are really important during the season too, because everyone makes a lot of sacrifices during the year.
Now all our focus is on facing Burnley. They will be relaxed coming into this game, and can just go out and play. But 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 and keep going the way we’ve done for a while now. It’s another game we need to win. That’s the mindset: to just prepare like we always do and then show our qualities on the pitch.
Hopefully it will be a good evening at the Emirates and after the game we’ll have the chance to thank you all for your brilliant support all season, so we are looking forward to that as well. We’ve felt that togetherness and energy all season, so let’s do it together again tonight.
Read the rest of Martin’s notes, as well as a host of other fantastic content, by buying the Arsenal v Burnley programme either around the stadium or online
Copyright 2026 The Arsenal Football Club Limited. Permission to use quotations from this article is granted subject to appropriate credit being given to www.arsenal.com as the source.
