If we lift the title there are those little moments that you might not remember come the summer. Details that you won’t recall at the trophy parade yet are significant.
On Saturday in the 35th minute Arsenal were awarded a penalty. Our usual taker Saka was on the bench due to an illness during the week.
As our captain it seems that Odegaard was going to take on the responsibility. He’s not short of confidence from the spot having converted our opener in the recent shoot out with Sporting Lisbon.
Yet at the last moment the Norwegian handed the ball to Gabriel Jesus.
It wasn’t because Jesus had won the foul and he was hardly a more confident alternative. The striker hasn’t scored since October’s North London Derby with a goal drought coming before his month-long injury.
It shows though our skipper is always thinking.
Of course, he trusted Jesus in the short term to convert his pen, but this decision was based with the future in mind.
Odegaard is smart enough to understand the margin between success and failure can be so tiny so the difference in the run could be having a prolific goal scorer.
Man, City have Haaland, while we have shared the goals around the team, yet the quicker our number 9 got his goal the better.
Suddenly he goes to Anfield next weekend feeling confident, which might not have been the case had Odegaard not been so unselfish.
Maybe our leader heard the crazy stat about his teammate.
Jesus has never lost a Prem fixture he’s scored in. Obviously, the majority of those matches were with Man City, but if it gives the Brazilian his mojo back for our last nine games – brilliant!
The 25-year-old is just 2 games shy of James Milner’s record of 54 games scored in without defeat.
It’s not just scoring in 52 games without defeat that is impressive though. Out of those 52 games he’s scored in, he’s won 49 of them.
So, the stat so nearly reads every game Jesus scores in he wins.
It’s another example of why the 45 million was purchase was so vital.
While the Etihad has a dressing room full of talent who have experience of dealing with ‘squeaky bum time’, the majority of our young squad couldn’t cope with the pressure of chasing the top 4 last season.
Arteta has smartly brought in a few players who have that knowledge of knowing how to win.
Jesus has that.
He has game management, knows how and when to do the dirty sides of things,
A Jesus with self-belief could get us over the line.
If he were to score in his next 9 games the stats say he we won’t lose
Dan
I don’t know about the stats, but that’s definitely proper leadership from odegaard – he always puts the team first. I really respect how he shares responsibilities with his teammates like this, but also with xhaka and zinchenko. He doesn’t feel that it always has to be him. It shows that he respects them, and they respect him in return.
I must admit, I thought Ode a fairly strange choice for captain, but it’s just another one of arteta’s great decisions that’s proven me resoundingly wrong!
Great comment!
Ode isn’t not only talented with his feet, but also talented in the in his head, that’s why he amazingly makes quick and correct decisions. He is compared to a computer when it comes to solutions.
Thanks to Arteta M
Yes captain outstanding was at it again after a weekend of much talk and test of our mental strength.
It was an awesome move on behalf of our outstanding captain to give Jesus the pen, but we have seen our talisman has come back to life in this one, he has return with a bang.
Forget about the brace Jesus score and forget about his skills sets and show boating, it was the running to the corner flag in defending against a ball that was threatening our goal to gate crash the party why the gaffer loves him so much, it is those defensive capabilities that he offers why the legendary Pepe Guardiola loves Jesus so much.
History has taught us when our Talisman in this kind of form not even Anfield will stop us.
I’m sorry Dan ,I’m not sure if you wrote that headline but 😂
I guess Odegaard wanted Jesus to regain his confidence quickly by tasting the goal again. Great decision by our captain and we’re lucky to have such hardworking creative midfielder
You would think that the manager should be making these calls not letting the players pick and choose ,not sure why Odegaard was ahead of Jesus anyone .
Anyway *
Maybe our penalty taker list was set since the beginning of this season and Odegaard deserves to be the second choice after Saka because he’s our captain
That’s why you are not a manager of a top club, it makes perfect sense
I’m not sure you got that right. I think there’s an emerging trend in world football where a player picks the ball seemingly to take a penalty as a decoy to take the pressure and limelight off the actual penalty taker. We know there are usually mind games prior to a shootout and sometimes the opposition can get into the head of a penalty taker (Martinez has done this to great effect). The decoy in these instances takes the abuse,intimidation and mind games leaving the actual penalty taker focused on the job at hand.
Wow, that’s food for thought
Exactly my thoughts Onyango 👍
I’m in the camp that it was the most sensible decision to make regardless of who sanctioned it. Jesus had gone through injury and a goal drought so scoring the penalty was a morale boost. Great when a second goal went in. Hope it’s the start of things to come.
As an aside, Odegaard’s cross into the box for Xhaka to score was perfection
I have long noticed thaat when a play , a book or a film has a title, the title words DO ACTUALLY appear, evenif it is just a once only spoken phrase.
But in JA articles, frequently, indeed almost always, the actual aheadline bears no resemblance at all to what the article ACTUALLY says!
But as we know, two different people write; one writes the article and Ad PAT the headline.
ODD!
Ah! Now you’ve revealed yourself as a headline writer in a previous reality jon.
Jax Oh, if only you would say EXACTLY and PLAINLY what you mean, in plain unambiguous English and not write in cryptic and hard to understand ways!
Then perhaps I COULD GIVE YOU AN ANSWER THAT MEANS SOMETHING.
I know the many kids on here cannot use English correctly and struggle to exlain what they mean.
BUT YOU ARE NEARER MY AGE, SO IT IS DISAPPOINTING, COMING FROM YOU!.
I was pulling your leg jon.
Jon…..Are you saying this title is misleading in some way?
PAT yes I am, as a “smart” idea is just that, a smart idea . Genius however is something altogether far more regularly brilliant.
Mozart and Einstein were geniuses. Odegaard is simply smart, as the non hyped article correctly says.
Its YOUR headline which is wrong and deliberately overhyped and therefore misleading, as you well know!
I do wish your GENERALLY misleading headlines would TRUTHFULLY represent what the articles DO say and NOT what you want them to say!
All goals scored against Leeds United were masterpieces. Continue to play for each other, Continue to play for Arsenal, individual glory is no team work. COYG
I wonder if Odegaard knew that Jesus had scored just 5 of his 12 penalties ever.
Wow, I certainly didn’t, another food for thought
It’s not if but after or when we lift the title. The title is already secured there is no room for doubt anymore.
I have already started celebrations to our out of normal long waited title and back to where we truly belong, at the top.
We don’t know what Odegaard was thinking when giving Jesus the spot. He might have been afraid of missing.
That’s the positivity I like, the scent of the big is getting stronger.
No it’s if ….
We still got go to three of the top 6
How often do we win or even draw at Anfield or Ethiad ?
Dan the law of average dictates it’s just about time to get the monkey off our back
Dan, rarely, but I think our players now have the confidence to at least not lose these games.
Still plenty work to be done
Based on us losing twice to City and at Old Trafford ?
How many games have Liverpool , City and Newcastle lost at home in the league ?
I just think to say it’s if and not when is so arrogant
I understand your caution as there have been false dawns and a couple of decades since we last won the league
However, do Liverpool think they are odds on to beat us? Do you me and the gatepost think we will crumble or do we give strength to the squad with our support right until the end of the season?
SPOT ON DAN! To say “there is no doubt” is the comment of an arrogant fool.
Sue It’s not about support , it’s about being humble .
His words were it’s not if , it’s when .
So he’s saying it’s a foregone conclusion .
I’m saying with the fixtures we have left that’s silly .
We have not beat City in our last 14 league games , I think maybe two are draws ?
So that’s a huge hurdle
We havnt won in the League at Anfield in our last 10 visits
Yet suddenly ( with the pressure huge ) we are winning these fixtures
So arrogant
Fans arrogance or humbleness has nothing to do with the performance of our players this season… It’s their hard work, passion, discipline, believes and togetherness that is making every match enjoyable for us… Any fan can chose to be humble or be arrogant it has nothing to do with the result…. Players can stay humble, while fans get to express whichever approach they like
I agree mate
Never said fans attitude has any bearing on results ?
I just personally think it’s a bad attitude to have .
What does have an impact is we could kick off at Anfield with our gap down to 5 points at a stadium we mentally crumble at to the point our manager played loud speakers of ynwa in training
Liverpool rarely lose at Anfield , have beaten City and united at home this season
Yet its a case of when and not if we win title ?
If we don’t win at a ground we never win at City are in control of their own destiny
So I don’t get this attitude of its done
I understand your point of view Dan. This team is really defying odds these season. If and when can be concurrent. I was asking fellow gunners when they think we might win the league. Three games , two or down to the wire!?? I thought we’d win the league with 3 games to go . It could be arrogance or believe
It wasn’t a criticism Dan
I just wonder if other teams see us the threat that we clearly are this season.
Absolutely sue we are a threat. And the boys are different ‘animals’ this season. Will we reach the finish line? Only time will tell . We are holding well so far. Do I believe we have a chance to win at anfield yes albeit how minimal I’ll take it
I’d take a draw at Anfield if offered now
Chelsea just sacked potter
My word, those recent misfiring signings, surely have speed up the Englishman demise
Liverpool and the Citizens will not continue to
have that impressive record against Arsenal indefinitely at their respective home fixtures.
The law of average dictates that will change one day sooner rather than later.
No it actually doesn’t
If we rarely win at either the chances of winning at both is low .
Dan smith so you do admit we have a chance regardless of how low they are . We have a chance.
My argument is we dont have a chance .
I’m challenging the sentence that it’s when and not if .
Lot of work still to do
Isn’t
Just can’t seing us roll over and lose at both the Citizens and Liverpool.
And the law of average makes that clear, 😃
Shame that logic hasn’t worked In most seasons recently lol
Certainly, it was great of Odegaard to hand over the responsibility of taking the penalty to Jesus. It was not only purely unselfish but also it kept in mind that if Jesus scored, it would be good for his confidence and hence good for the entire team. What matters ultimately is that the team wins matches and if the main striker is in scoring form, nothing like it.
That’s why he is captain of Arsenal and Norway