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