Martin Odegaard delivered a timely reminder of his quality in Sunday's Community Shield, scoring and impressing throughout as Arsenal look to build on last season's Premier League triumph. Though the Community Shield carries little weight in terms of silverware, the performance from the Norwegian captain offered encouraging signs after a difficult campaign hampered by injury.
Odegaard struggled for consistency last season, managing just 16 Premier League starts and one goal across 36 appearances in all competitions due to knee and shoulder problems. His absence sparked debate over whether Eberechi Eze should take his place in the starting XI, or whether Declan Rice should inherit the captaincy.
Manager Mikel Arteta acknowledged the toll the injuries took on his skipper. "He missed five or six months for different things and it was extremely difficult for him to get any momentum," Arteta said. "I'm sure this year if we can maintain him fit, available with the players around him, we're going to see a very different Martin."
Against Manchester City, Odegaard justified that optimism. His clinical finish just two minutes into the second half put Arsenal in control, and his clipped cross set up the second goal in a dominant showing. Beyond the attacking contributions, Odegaard was also influential defensively, winning five of his seven duels and making more recoveries than any other player on the pitch.
The midfielder carried that form over from an impressive World Cup campaign, where only Michael Olise registered more assists than him. Odegaard used a three-week break afterward to recover mentally and physically, spending time with his wife and son before returning for pre-season training.
"It was massive for me," Odegaard said. "Last year was really a big struggle with a lot of difficult moments. That's the worst thing for a footballer, to not be on the pitch. I had quite a lot of weird injuries and bad luck. It was good to end it with the title here and then a good World Cup. Then I had my break. Now I feel good. After last season, to miss so many games is really frustrating. What I've done is use that as motivation for this year and come back stronger."
Arteta noted a change in his captain's demeanor as soon as he rejoined the squad, saying he sensed something different in Odegaard from day one — a determination to prove himself again for a team that needs him at his best.
Odegaard made his first pre-season appearance just over a week ago, playing 30 minutes against Borussia Dortmund and showing flashes of his creative instincts with two defense-splitting through balls. With Bruno Guimaraes now added to the squad, Arsenal's midfield should offer more technical quality, potentially giving Odegaard more chances to unlock defenses through incisive passing.
Arsenal have yet to complete a marquee attacking signing this summer after missing out on targets like Morgan Rogers and Vinicius Jr, leaving the identity of any potential elite left-winger addition unclear. In the absence of such reinforcement, the club may instead rely on improved output from existing options — including Bukayo Saka, who Arteta says has fully recovered from his Achilles problem, and Christos Tzolis, who has already shown promise on the left flank.
At his peak, Odegaard has proven capable of elevating Arsenal's attack significantly, having posted 15 goals and seven assists in the 2022/23 Premier League season, followed by eight goals and 11 assists the year after. Entering the final two years of his contract, the Norwegian will be eager to rediscover that level of production as Arsenal chase another title, with the added personal significance of setting up what could be his last major contract.
Based on reporting from Standard Sport.