Martin Odegaard says the string of injuries that disrupted his previous season have left him mentally tougher and more determined as Arsenal set out to defend their Premier League crown.
The Norwegian playmaker endured a frustrating campaign marred by knee, shoulder and muscle problems, limiting him to just 16 Premier League starts and a single goal. He also missed Arsenal's Carabao Cup final loss to Manchester City. Despite the setbacks, Odegaard ended the season by lifting the Premier League trophy — his first major honour since arriving at the club in 2021 — and followed it up with a run to the World Cup quarter-finals with Norway over the summer.
That resilience was on full display as Arsenal thrashed Manchester City 3-0 in the Community Shield in Cardiff, with Odegaard capping an outstanding display by scoring his first goal for the club since December.
"Last year was really a big struggle with a lot of difficult moments," Odegaard said. "It is the worst thing for a footballer to not be able to be on the pitch, and I had quite a lot of weird injuries, and bad luck."
He added that finishing the season on a high, both with Arsenal's title triumph and Norway's World Cup run, gave him fresh belief heading into the new campaign. "It was good for me to end the season with a title here and then a good World Cup. Then I had my break and I feel good, ready to go again," he said. "Last season, to miss so many games because of injury was really frustrating. What I have just worked on is to use that as motivation for this year and to come back stronger. To use all of those experiences in a positive way. Hopefully I can do that."
Arsenal's dominant win over City, the side many expect to be their fiercest rivals for the title, served as an early statement of intent. Mikael Arteta's team raced into a 3-0 lead inside 48 minutes, with new signing Christos Tzolis — a £34million arrival from Club Brugge — instrumental in the rout. Tzolis set up Kai Havertz for Arsenal's second before teeing up Odegaard for the third shortly after half-time.
The other headline arrival, Bruno Guimaraes, also impressed on his first start following his £75million move from Newcastle, playing 45 minutes before being replaced by Declan Rice. Odegaard was full of praise for how quickly the Brazilian has settled into the squad.
"Since the first day he came in, it has been such a natural thing," Odegaard said. "Although we had some big fights with him in the past, he has just come into the team as a real natural part of the team. He can win the ball, he's a fighter. But he also has so much quality and is calm on the ball. He always takes the right amount of time and he finds the pass. The connection is already there, you can see, it has been really easy."
Having already secured the league title once, Odegaard insisted Arsenal are hungry for more success this term, both domestically and on other fronts. "Of course, last year we won the league, but this year we want more," he said. "We want to do it again in the league and then there are the other trophies."
The defeat marked a rocky start for new City manager Enzo Maresca, who took over from Pep Guardiola in the summer. Compounding City's difficult week, the club later confirmed it had accepted a £65.4million offer from Barcelona for midfielder Rodri. Defender Ruben Dias acknowledged the challenges ahead, telling TNT Sports: "It is the beginning of the season, it is not good enough. It's part of any transition for things to be not so perfect in the beginning. You need to push through, you need to communicate, and make things work between us."
Arsenal will open their Premier League title defence against promoted Coventry, aiming to build on the momentum generated by their Community Shield success.
Based on reporting from Independent Football and The Guardian.