Martin Ødegaard is a name that has stirred considerable debate this season. The Norwegian has been trusted as club captain for the past four years. He was named permanent skipper after his first full season at the club, a reflection of his standing among his peers at the time. Since then, however, the pressure on him to relinquish the armband has never been greater than it is right now. The murmurs that began a few months ago have grown louder with each passing game, and not without reason.
A captain struggling for form
Ødegaard is currently enduring one of, if not the worst spell of his Arsenal career. Once the creative heartbeat of the team, he now looks a shadow of his former self. The lack of cohesion in his game, the absence of a creative spark and the drop in conviction in his execution have all been evident for months.
If discussions around the midfielder once divided opinion, there is little doubt which side of the fence most Arsenal supporters now sit on. Nottingham Forest away was arguably his lowest point in an Arsenal shirt. He was bullied relentlessly by Elliot Anderson throughout the match, a performance that has become increasingly familiar. In simple terms, his displays have not reflected those of a true leader.
He has never been the most vocal captain from the outside looking in, but the primary reason he was handed the armband was his leadership through performance. That has largely evaporated, raising the question of what currently justifies his hold on the captaincy. Many fans now point to Declan Rice as the obvious replacement, and the reasoning behind that does not need spelling out.
Why a change now would be damaging
Stripping Ødegaard of the captaincy may feel justified, but would it be pragmatic? The answer, for me, is a clear no. Despite his struggles, Arsenal remain in an excellent position. They are top of the league by four points and have won every Champions League league phase match. That does not resemble a club in crisis.
Making such a significant decision mid-season risks unsettling even the tightest of dressing rooms. A move like that could have serious consequences, not just now but heading into the summer. It would also send the wrong message to a player already low on confidence and in need of support. Removing the armband would only compound that problem.
That said, standards must be upheld. Both Arteta and Ødegaard need to acknowledge that improvement is required. If performances do not improve, a spell on the bench should follow, allowing others the chance to step in. Eberechi Eze may not have set the world alight, but he deserves a run in the side.
Be polite in the comments please.
Benjamin Kenneth
___________________________________________________________________________________________
ADMIN COMMENT
So here are some simple rules which I must insist commenters follow….
You agree not to give any personal abuse to other Arsenal fans. Everyone is allowed to hold their own opinions even if you disagree with them. It COSTS NOTHING TO BE POLITE TO OTHER ARSENAL FANS.
CALLING ALL ARSENAL FANS! Anyone who would like to contribute an Article or Video opinion piece on JustArsenal, please contact us through this link…
Everything was fine until a few games ago. Everything is still fine. Drew 2 games and lost 1. Was likely to happen at some point. The best bet now isn’t to go making big changes but rather get them in a good place mentally. The spark that Calafiori brings is being missed a bit as well. I think the results will improve.
Ode can stay captain for now but that doesn’t mean he can’t and shouldn’t be benched for a while
The mantle that is captain is really just a superficial thing in my opinion, you can see that the true leaders on the pitch are Gabriel and Rice, so I think it’s all rather superfluous.
I said it before, Odegaard plays and acts too comfortable both on the pitch. He currently faces no competition, no fear of being benched, no consequences for continued subpar performances; especially from a captain.
Odegaard was never a vocal leader on the pitch, as was stated above. However, he no longer leads by performance, I would argue not by effort or work ethic either.
He is a shadow of his former self, I think it difficult for anyone to disagree based on his performances. I would not make changes this year, but next year I would seriously consider naming another captain.
Of course the players would select someone non-confrontational, not surprised by his selection. This team needs a captain like Vieira; the sloppiness and lack of intensity would not be repeated in the manner we see now, imo.
Durand,
Regards our post’s the other day regarding Odegaard. I see again today having read Arteta’s comments on the Arsenal website, when asked about Odegaard’s form again he used the excuse of him being injured 3 times this season.
He’s been back long enough now to at least be playing to a better level. The thing is, Odegaard is one of the most subbed Captains I would imagine. So even Arteta must see during games that Odegaard’s not performing to the levels needed. Which begs the question, why start him in the first place.
Apart from injury’s, I don’t see many teams subbing their captain, certainly not as much as our side does anyway.
Arteta will not strip him off his captaincy.
Let’s give him the benefit of the doubt that there is still a good player in there.
He might still come good but Arteta still needs to know when to rotate depending on the opposition.
Average player ,should not be anywhere near the captaincy.
But obviously captains these days are not what they were 20 years ago ,pretty much the same as the players ,handbags at dawn springs to mind (hopefully that dosent upset the JA Karen on here )
Getting his camera out against Liverpool summed him up for me .
If this wobble persists to something worse – hopefully not – I’d make the change to Rice. With clean slate, would be Rice all day.
Leaving out a player who is not performing well is the issue.It matters not that he is our Captain as the responsibilities of that appointment in Association Football are less important and arduous than they are in the sport of cricket .The facts are that Odegaard is currently struggling and unfortunately for us his logical replacement , namely Eze, has been decidedly ineffectual in his time on the pitch other than in the Spurs game.It probably won’t happen , but now that he has regained fitness, it could be the time to give Havertz the opportunity to play in the role of attacking midfielder ?
The issue of Odegaard and the captaincy to me is trivial! Being captain doesn’t mean one can’t start on the bench. A captain is more of a figurehead than an executive with powers. It would not change anything if Odegaard remains captain but is treated like any other player with regard to playing time. His playing minutes should depend on his performance, not on his position as captain. We can give him the benefit of the doubt until the end of the season. We have Eze, Havertz and even Merino can play that position. So let Odegaard compete with those people for a starting berth.
Somewhat figurehead, not sure trivial. Personalities matter in football. Dressing rooms tend to gravitate towards a leader. I would hazard a guess that a virutally always in form Rice, playing most minutes, who is a winner and bold personality, would at the margin lift the players if designated leader.
What worries me more is that I have read a few small articles recently which mention his agent shopping Odegaard around to some other teams.
I sincerely hope this is just noise…….
JW,
Apparently he wasn’t happy at being substituted against United the other day.
Well if he performed better he wouldn’t need to be substituted would he.
👍
Perhaps Odegaard is better off when he is not captain! Remember how Granit Xhaka improved after being relieved of the armband? The team has a number of leaders who can inspire the others: Declan Rice, Gabriel Magalhaes, Kai Havertz, Bukayo Saka, Jurrien Timber, Ricardo Calafiori, Ben White etc. With this crop of players there is no reason why we can’t go on a winning run.
The threat to Odegaard’s attacking midfield position is not Eze, but Havertz based on his recent assist to Gyokeres plus his own finish for goal in the Champions League. The goal and assist contributions by Odegaard are down on his previous seasons.
Odegaard is the captain. Saka and Big Gabby are the immediate assistants. Anything else is just noise
And by the way, If Odegaard were to leave the club, I would prefer Saka or big Gabby, not Rice
Arsenal have one real captain. It’s the guy who leads by example week in and week out.