The Arsenal fanbase is largely united in its view that the recently concluded season ended in disappointment. For many clubs, finishing second in the league and reaching the semi-finals of the Champions League would be seen as a success. But for a side that has fallen short too many times in recent years, this campaign did little to lift a deflated fanbase. Most agree it was ‘a season of nearlys and not quites‘.
Among the various issues that surfaced, squad performance arguably sits at the top of the list. Several players failed to meet the high standards needed to win major trophies. A lack of consistency plagued the team, with key individuals unable to sustain their form over the course of the season.
Ødegaard’s drop-off in form raised concerns
One such player is Arsenal captain Martin Ødegaard. The Norwegian started the season brightly, but his influence faded as the campaign progressed. In the second half of the season, his performances were widely viewed as underwhelming. Once the creative heartbeat of the side, Ødegaard often appeared predictable and lacked the physical edge to impose himself in midfield.
Despite registering six goals and eleven assists in all competitions, many fans felt those numbers painted a more flattering picture than reality. In comparison, Ødegaard produced eleven goals and eleven assists the previous season, but the difference in overall impact between the two campaigns was stark. Some pointed to an early-season ankle injury and the long-term absences of Bukayo Saka and Ben White as mitigating factors for his dip in form.
Fans float bold solution to help Ødegaard refocus
In response, some supporters have floated a bold idea. According to fan discussions, Arsenal could consider removing the captaincy from Ødegaard and handing it to a figure such as Declan Rice or Gabriel Magalhães. The belief is that lifting the pressure of leadership could help the midfielder regain his focus and deliver more freely on the pitch.
While the suggestion carries some logic, it is unlikely to be acted upon. The decision would draw major media attention and could unsettle both the player and the wider squad. As reported by fans, there are also concerns over the psychological impact it might have on Ødegaard, potentially doing more harm than good.
In my view, Mikel Arteta is unlikely to consider such a move. But what do you think, Gooners? Should Arsenal at least explore the idea?
BENJAMIN KENNETH
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100% as he’s not a captain, no drive or backbone plus he should be dropped. Rice shows the leadership required to win games & leagues. Ode just isn’t a captain. If it helps him play better and stops him running round in circles or backwards or dead ends then great, even better.,This is a leadership & mentality reason – let’s not hide behind the real reason.
No. He will get back to form next season.
Absolutely ,and his starting spot ,over hyped since he’s been here .
Need pace in that midfield and he has to be the slowest player ive seen roll up on our turf in donkeys years .
What’s worrying is who Arteta is going for in this transfer window ,same old slow side way passers .
tak jsi asi slepý…..
Let him keep his captaincy, he is a good captain.
Awful idea. He’s the best captain we’ve had since Adams.
Arseweb,
Am I reading your post right, are you saying that Odegaard is the best Captain we’ve had since Tony Adams.
Really!, better than Viera and Henry. Your entitled to your opinion, but I think your way off the mark personally.
Henry was among the worst captain we ever had. Great player, yes. Great captain, he’ll no!
😂that’s got to be a joke surely?
Are you really okay? You need to read that again plss!!
He most certainly not be the Captain of this club. I’ve heard the but he’s been injured and he’s having injections to keep on playing. Well if he’s needing to do that he shouldn’t be anywhere near the side if true.
Then I hear he’s become a Dad, so what. He isn’t the first and he certainly won’t be the last. If he’s having off the field problems, then sort them out and then come back playing when possible.
For me the Captain should be Gabriel or Rice, they just look like leaders. And more often than not, it shows in their performances.
Real Madrid don’t usually let their best players go. But as usual Arsenal don’t read the signs and go for him anyway. Don’t get me wrong, he’s a good player on his day. But nothing more in my opinion.
Let him keep the captainacy. He should be helped with Zubimendi joining us- as Ødegaard had to play deeper. Adding Zubimendi allows Ødegaard to get higher up the pitch in his best position. It will be demoralizing to him if he is stripped of the captainacy and replaced, and his season would get worse.
I agree. This idea doesn’t seem like it has any legs right now.
I think Rice will ultimately become captain, but my gut tells me that we’re not at that point yet. Regardless of this season’s form, Odegaard is still among the best players in his position in the world, our player of the season for two years running, and one of the first names on the team sheet. He knows the system inside out, and has the confidence of the manager and the players. On his form this year, if Zubimendi does come in in July, allowing Odegaard to play further up the pitch, and we sign a dynamic striker like Sesko or Gyokeres, I’m very confident his influence will be clear again next season.
So at this stage it’s reasonable to consider the situation, but I think on balance, that a switch of armbands risks being more disruptive than helpful. No clear evidence that it would absolutely improve our chances of winning the league. I’m sure Arteta and co will have thought about it too.
💯
Nice change to read a well balanced articulate comment
And completely agree 👍
He was voted our player of the season 2 years in a row so that means he is a quality player.
He will get over his injury and having a first child stress and be a good player again who marks, creates and scores goals.
But that doesn’t make a captain does it? His form is irrelevant. What is relevant, is when you look around the team, are there any players that lead from the front when the team are suffering. At the moment, Ode’s response is to flail his arms at the crowd and expect a response every time, thats a sign of weakness in my book.
Declan Rice is a born leader, the closest thing we have to a modern day Tony Adams. Probably the best captain in my Arsenal supporting lifetime. Look at how he was talking to his team mates during that second leg against RM, you can’t teach that. Either you have that presence or you don’t. Ode doesn’t.
Offering Rice the captaincy sounds like lunacy. How come now on top of needing striker(s) we propose giving the captaincy to Rice?- it would send the wrong messages to the other players.
Lots of our fans may be high or suffering from sun stroke 🙂 but id be shocked to read arteta did that to Odegaard, i see its something akin to punishing him. Rice recently having walked through the club door and some here see fit to pass the captaincy over – maybe in time but the time is not now.
Odegaard simply lost form but he fortunately has the others with character and personality able to support or stand in for him. These kind of suggestions are reason why professional foot ballers are often advised not to absorb so much media.
The captain isn’t the problem, but unreasonable fan expectations, the owners investments, the injuries, left-wing cover and need of strikers are.
Simple answer is no. As has been said, he’s had a traumatic season, but we all know what he’s capable of when 100% fit. If he does lose that captaincy it may well affect him.
It will do more harm than good. The captaincy nowadays does not carry the same weight as it did in the past anyway.
HH, I see the kit man that got the sack is now suing the club for unfair dismissal.
There’s no need to strip him off of the captaincy.
We need to sign another creative midfielder to put him on his toes and replace him when off form.
We have players in our squad that are too comfortable. And it’s part of the contributing factor to the abrupt drop in form of some of our players. They know they start no matter what.
To be a bit fair to Odegaard,I heard months ago that is carrying an injury; another reason why we need a replacement/competitor for him.
I wake up everyday thanking the heavens, I always feel so glad that our sensationalistic fans are not the decision makers at Arsenal.
They have some of the most deadest / worst takes on nearly every matter.
The amount of wrong calls and takes are overwhelming every season.
🤦♂️🤦♂️
Declan Rice all day long for me, reminds me of Tony Adams – a bit quicker though. His work ethic is such an example to our younger players. I honestly believe that this would ‘free up’ Odergaard and be beneficial for the team in the long term. It probably won’t happen just yet.
Yes Arsenal should consider it but Arteta 100% will keep him. He will not take the armband off him, ever, while both are at Arsenal.
Suggesting that the captaincy should be taken from Odegaard makes little sense. Don’t know what some so-called fans are smoking. This really should not be up for discussion but some silly people have decided that they want to scapegoat Odegaard for the challenges of the season.
What the club should be focusing on is strengthening the squad not looking for a new captain.
Strengthening the squad means looking for a new captain !
Because like Arteta, being captain, doesn’t make you the best fit for the job David. He was the wrong choice in the first place but lije Arteta we are stuck with him. It doesn’t make him the best chiice though!!!
Thank you Ben for raising this important topic. Short answer is Ode must lose his captaincy both for him to refocus and also for lacking key attributes of a captain. A captain should always be nearer to the ref to facilitate two way communication. Even more so for a team like Arsenal that suffer most due to the inconsistent decisions of refs. Ode is a silent timid looking guy as I presume. He doesn’t communicate well. For instance v Madrid in the 2nd leg the ref himself gave the penalty for Arsenal implying no Arsenal player demanded it from the ref. This task should rather be Ode’s. In the domestic front it would be worthwhile if the captain is from their country England or UK as they speak the language. So take away from Ode and give it to the pricey Ricey. Maghales must not be a captain as his English is very poor and lacks the emotional attributes of a captain. Nonetheless the transfer of power should be done in a win win manner not to create a disgruntled party which otherwise may affect the cohesion of the team.
Odegaard has been a bit sluggish this season injury was never the issue to him i was just tired before even kicking a ball, and if it means stripping him of captaincy Gabriel Magalhaes is probably the best choice then Declan Rice be the vice captain.
I don’t think Ode is a bad captain but at the same time I also don’t think he is a great captain
I think Rice suits the part much more for what is needed at Arsenal
This Captain thing also seems to be just cognitive mental gymnastics. In my opinion iIt makes negligible impact to the team on who is captain on a grand scheme.
For example, if you are to strip Odegaard of the Captaincy and handed it to Gabriel or Rice, how is that going to earns us another 4 wins instead of a draw (from the 14 draws we conjured up this season? How is that going to earn us an extra 6 points in order to be closer to liverpool (84 points to our 74 points)? How is that going to make us not lose both Legs against PSG, etc??
Weren’t both Gabriel or Rice part of the team? What stopped them from pushing harder than Odegaard in order to lead by example?
Then the question arises: If Rice or Gabriel had been the Captains in the last 3 season where we came up short, would they have gotten us over the line in the League or CL just for a simple FACT that they were Captain?
Because from what I am reading it seems like the captaincy for either of those two would have made a massive impact in our endeavours to win the league or CL.
Right?
🤔
Unfortunately, we now have any number of fans who have now settled on the captaincy as a major issue simply because they have taken a dislike to Odegaard. It is useful to note that many of these empty heads were those who criticised the signing of Odegaard in the first place.
Some are now conveniently forgetting the fact that Rice didn’t start the season all that himself; now he has become a favourite.
How does this commotion about the captaincy of the club benefit the team?
David,
Your very good at getting personal about some poster’s who dare to have a different opinion to you.
Disagree by all means, but refrain from the empty head remarks. That remark make’s you sound like the empty head. Although I don’t think you are, but I hope you get my point. 👍
Thats his trademark reply Derek. He is running out of excuses, he has given that many🤣
Cheers. What a blistering counter attack!
@David.
It’s tiring mate.
It’s always the same old shallow / surafce level takes season after season. Hence why I refer to it as “SENSATIONALISM”.
🤦♂️
Goonster,
I assume that your accusing anyone who see’s Arsenal not winning things and giving their reasons for it, and if in your opinion they exaggerate you call them sensationalists.
In your post to David, you say the same old shallow / surface level takes season after season.
Well there in lye’s the problem. The teams failure to win a trophy season after season, you said it yourself.
Watching the team fail season after season, are the fans that don’t like it meant to stay silent. And just go along with this positive narrative that some fans seem hell bent on keeping no matter what.
Is their no fans anymore who hold managers and players accountable. And any fan that does are castigated for it.
This club once had standard’s, it seems that there are some fans that are willing just to except second no matter what the competition. 🤷♂️
@DEREK
There is a difference betwen people that offer “Constructive Criticism / Substantive analysis VS “ The same old shallow / surface level” Sensationalists that spew myopic on nearly every topic in this Arteta era.
In another thread about an Arsenal Transfer rumour stating that we are close to signing this 17 year old Konstantinos. Some poster called “@FREE” just made a sensationalistic / racist comment about how Arteta just prefers “Robotic White donkey players” and that he should be sacked.
That is another example of why I keep labelling these people as Sensationalists that have such shallow / surface level outlook.
Absolutely no substance but sensationalistic takes season after season.
🤦♂️🤦♂️
Goonster,
Thank you for your response.
And on reading your post, I will agree with your example of sensationalism. 👍
A proper captain makes a huge difference, anybody who’s played sport in the real world would tell you that! Couch muppets wouldn’t understand
No I do not dislike Ode at all, I just don’t think he’s the best player we have in a captain role.
P.S. did you just learn that the word sensationalism?
Okay. So substantiate your claim.
For example, if Rice was our Captain this or last season, what difference would that have made to the entire team? For example: What stops Rice from motivating himself and his teammates right now when he is not our captain? Only when he is captain is when he will start running more, scoring more, leading more etc?
Tell me what games we would have won and got extra points if Rice was our captain this season?
So, you people think that being a Captain would have added some extra superpowers to someone like Rice just for a simple FACT that he wore that captain armband?!
Then he would have pushed us into the CL final against PSG and gotten us closer to Liverpool this season?
I want to see how you could draw that correlation plus causation. Because I can’t see how the captaincy would make Gabriel or Rice more impacting / influential oon our results (matches). With or without the captain armband both Gabriel and Rice will continue to perform at the level they have been performing for us.. They wouldn’t have made a difference in the PSG games or in the league by turning our 14 draws into wins. They were on the pitch for the majority of the games this and last season.
Isn’t it?
👍🤞
Isn’t it what?
I love reading the autobiographies of our players and what they say about our captains and managers.
Leaders, Inspiring, Always there to help are just some of the words used to describe the likes of Adams, Vieira and McClintock.
Just finished reading Martin Keown’s “On the Edge” and he
described how Adams and Vieria would inspire him to bring more out of himself than he knew he had.
He talks about wearing the captains armband for England and what that meant to him and how he used that to drive others forward.
He also says that, with that kind of leadership (Tony and Patrick) the team went out knowing that everyone had to be at 100% and, also, they knew that they put the fear of God into their opponents.
Now I’m not sure if Martin Odegaard has that kind of leadership skill, but I do know that Declan Rice has, as witnessed at WHU.
We witnessed at manure, with Keane and at the spuds with Dave Mackay many moons ago.
Did these guys win matches by being captains?
Reading the thoughts of the players who were alongside them, then the answer is yes.
J @Ken
I get all that and have grown up being told all the talking points that constitutes a Captain’s character. But once I got a bit older and mature in the modern times I started looking deeper than these platitudes that we were fed growing up.
To be honest I think it’s also a generational thing. The older people up to 30 years old we grew up in the era’s where being a captain meant being Loud, fight, run about a lot, very vocal, egotistical, confrontational and sometime some were near thuggish. Some of us grew up watching characters such as Adams, Keane, Vieira, Puyol, Zidane, Keown, Terry, Gerrard etc..
Then enter Captains such as Xavi, Messi (Barcelona), KDB / Rodri (Man City), Modric (Madrid), Van Djik (Liverpool), Marquinhos (PSG) etc..
Much more sophisticated and depend on their natural talent, intelligence (Lead by example) kind of attitude.
Then @Ken
I get all that and have grown up being told that what constitutes a Captain is a blood and thunder attitude etc.. But I changed my mind during the Fabregas era when he was made captain then RVP became our captain etc.. I matured more mature as the trend in the modern football world was moving away from the blood and thunder Captain to a more calmer technically talented Captain.
To be honest I think it’s also a generational thing. The older people up to 30 years old we grew up in the eras where being a captain meant being Loud, fight, run about a lot, very vocal, egotistical, confrontational and sometime near thuggish for some.
A lot of us grew up watching characters such as Adams, Keane, Vieira, Puyol, Zidane, Keown, Terry, Gerrard etc.. Very extroverted and out there..
Then entered Captains such as Xavi, Messi (Barcelona), KDB / Rodri (Man City), Modric (Madrid), Van Djik (Liverpool), Marquinhos (PSG), even our own Odegaard etc..
Much more sophisticated and depend on their natural talent, intelligence (Lead by example) kind of attitude rather than blood and thunder.
Again it’s horses for courses. Everyone has a particular mindset and we look at life in different ways. I wouldn’t mind the Tony Adams / Keown, John Terry, Gerrard, Rice types of Captain, but also I wouldn’t mind a Modric, Xavi, KDB, Odegaard, Rodri, Van Djik etc kind of Captain. What matters is performance.
And I will ask you the same question I have asked everyone so far. What difference would Rice have made to our chances of beatingg PSG if he was the captain? What difference would a Captain Rice have made to our chances of winning the Title in these last two seasons?
Because the way people are talking implies that a Rice is holding back giving us his best performances because he is not Captain. And that if given the Captaincy he would go up another level that would have pushed us over the line in the 2023/24 and 2024/25 season etc..
What is stopping him motivating himself and his teammates since we signed him? Only a Captaincy would stopped him from getting himself sent off earlier in the season etc? Or having an average season like everyone did this season? Etc
Good points Goonster.
As usual one of the most sensible and balanced perspectives.
As far as I can see there is no suggestion from within the club that there are issues with Odegaard as captain. Also, there are no tangible reasons people who are quibbling about this issue have been able to provide.
We are now seeing a false narrative about West Ham sneaked in to argue about Rice’s captaincy credentials. Rice is a great player and would likely make a good captain. However, using WH’s success in the Conference, which is tournament that they were favourites for, as a yardstick is disingenuous.
There are no valid reasons to change the captain at this time.
There are other issues that Arsenal need to focus on, particularly squad building, which are far more important for future successes.
Sneaking in WHU!! 😂😂😂
I made the point loud and clear and the fact that Rice has actually lifted a European club trophy, while Odegaard hasn’t, seems to have passed you by completely!!
Footnote :While Martin has been our captain, WHU, Chelsea, Palace and the spuds have all lifted trophies, he hasn’t!!
😂
Ken1945,
Totally agree with your post. The player’s you mentioned were top notch captains. They didn’t go around acting like cheer leaders waving their arms in the air every five minutes.
Well maybe Tony Adams did, but his was for offsides of course.😂👍
What I don’t ubderdrsbd, Derek, is why Odegaard does that anyway.
If the crowd saw that we were playing to our capabilities, then they would be right behind them – I can’t remember any of the ex CAPTAINS I mentioned doing that, as they were to busy playing their own game and geeing up their own players.
Goonster : I don’t see what growing up and becoming mature has to do with it.
Neither can I say that having Rice as captain would have gained us any more points, just as you can’t say that it wouldn’t.. correct?
What I can say is that I watched Declan captain a very ordinary WHU side to a European trophy, with his drive and commitment on the pitch – I don’t see that with Martin, despite the fact that he’s a very good player.
Again Ken1945,
You’ll get no arguments from me.
Off topic for a moment, I see that Gabriel has just signed his new contract, now there should be our Captain. Him or as you say Rice.
Regards Rice, his two performances against Real Madrid is exactly the barometer that any club captain should be all about.
Great news regarding Gabriel and the only thing that would worry me if he became captain, might be the language barrier, especially with the new referee rule coming in.
@Ken
As I said, I do believe that this Captain preference is a generational things. Those of us who are already in our 30’s and older have been brought up being told that a Captain has to have those Blood and Thunder characteristics. Hence why anyone in the theirs and above will list the likes of Tony Adams, Keane, Cambiaso, Vieira, John Terry, Gerrard, Jamie Caragher, Keown, Zidane etc as good examples of what a captian should look like.
So it’s not a coincidence that you went for that type of captain other than KDB, Modric, Xavi, Marquinhos, Van Djik, Rodri etc who seem to be completely different from the ones you listed.
And about Rice winning the Conference League with WHU. Thats a competition that West Ham were favourites to win from the word go, poor teams in there. Spurs and Man United were favourites to win the new Europa format. Chelsea this season were odds on favourites to win the Conference League this season. You did not need no top Captain to win it.
Look, Spurs flipping won the Europa league this season and finished 17th in the league. Who was their captain that pushed them to win it?
What about Chelsea? Who was their captain that led them to the Conference league trophy?
And West Ham finished in 14th the season that they won the conference league. They were absolutely terrible in the league that season.
Again, I wouldn’t mind Rice or Odegaard being captain, but our fans fantasising about Rice being made Captain is what I am trying to get an explanation for.
I will ask once again.
What difference would a Captain Rice have made to our endeavours to win the Title and CL for these last two season? How many extra points would he have earned us for the single fact that he was Captain? What stopped him from pushing us into the final against PSG this season or getting us over the line in the league these last two seasons? Is Rice holding back until he is made Captain then we will see the best of him?
And I’ll answer you once again – I can’t say whether we would have won more points with Rice as captain…. just as you can’t say we wouldn’t have – correct?
I watched Martin Odegaard blossom into a terrific player under Mikel Arteta and I was wrong about him.
However, he wasn’t the player he was last season and, perhaps, taking the responsibility away from him on the field, would benefit him personally?
It’s my personal opinion of course.
@Ken
So again. I want some comparisons. For example: “If Rice was the Captain instead of Odegaard this season or that season, in this game or that game, then this Loss would have turned into a draw and that that Draw could have turned into a Win due to his character / performances as Captain.” Etc..
So what makes many of our fans think that our team’s fortunes will transform with Rice as our Captain? Because he himself has been part of this team for two seasons now and he is yet to show that he can pull us across the line.
I also remember our fans jumping on the Tierney bandwagon when we first signed him, calling for him to be made our club captain or be nurtured into our captain in the future. He had that same ragged British look.
As I keep saying, I expect everyone to be able to add a bit of meat / substance to their stances. To me people just saying that they think Rice would make a good captain because he has that look / aura of the good old Captains such as Tony, Vieira, Keown, etc) or That he won the Conference cup with West Ham is not good enough a reason to be made an Arsenal Captain. Mu opinion of course.
What I want to hear are the actual consistent on the field attributes and contributions from him as an individual.
Such as:
“He is the type of player that comes up with a Goal when we are struggling”.
“He is the type of player that is alway motivating his teammates when things are not going well.”
“He is the kind of player that consistently shows up for us in the majority of the games.”
He is the player that will pop up with an assist when things are not going well for the team”.
“He is the player that his teammates look to for that bit of inspiration.”
“When he plays well the whole team’s performances go up”.
“He is very influential”. Etc…
That’s the type of substantive talk that will sway me. But just saying that such and such player would make a great captain because he has that ragged look that reminds me of the good old captains. Or That he won this and that with his previous clubs etc has not got enough meat on it for me to chew on.
That’s all. 👍👍
Well, you’ve just given me seven examples of what Rice does that, in my opinion, Odegaard hasn’t done.
1. His two goals against RM.
2. Watch him during matches, involving by those around him, rather than playing to the gallery.
3. 8cant think of one game where Rice hasn’t “turned up” and not given 100% – can you?
4. Not only his assists (check his stats) but the goals as well.
5. Watch the actions of the players when Rice scored his second goal against RM – Martin Odegaard held his head in disbelief for instance.
6. After those two goals, the belief in the team was there for everyone to see and it manifested itself in the away leg.
7. His influence both on and off the pitch needs no examples if one knows anything about football.
Now give me some examples of Odegaard, using the same seven examples for me to chew over.
That’s it 👍
No captain starts taking photos after a win of no significance ,complete cringe .
Actually no player should be that embarrassing in the first place let alone a club Captain
@Dan Kit
Alright Mr Albert Einstein of football analysis.
I will take your very deeply thought out analysis of what should constitute a Captain. No taking photos after an insignificant win etc. I will take that on board. Another brilliant insight from you my friend.
I have to say, that was some deep and thought provoking addition to the whole “Who should be our Captain conservation”. As always you bring in well thought out insights on a lot of topics.
Great wisdom.
👍
@Ken
So the Madrid game after two years at Arsenal is the only game you can come up with? Just a one off game and all of a sudden he should be our Captain? What happened in the PSG games after his heroic Freekicks against Madrid? Where was he throughout whole season when Odegaard had been off his game? Wasn’t it the right time for Rice to step up and push us across the line in both the CL and EPL when Odegaard was out of form? Why didn’t Rice step up and lead us to glory and more wins then? He did not take his opportunity for that Captaincy, did he? When Tierney, Calafiori, Zinchecko, Timber, Kiwior, Tomiyasu etc were out injured young Skelley came in and made his claim for that Left wingback.
Odegaard had a very poor season, and wasn’t this a great opportunity for Declan Rice to step up / step in and show his leadership skills? Did he do tjat?
And if the criteria for being a great Captain is predicated on a one off Cup game where in the next Tie (against PSG) that same himself went on to perform below par like the rest of his teammates. Then what?
So would you accept this same criteria if I could just find one game in the seasons where Odegaard won our “Player Of The Year Award” twice? Would you then be advocating for him to remain as Captain just because of that single game? Or it’s just a new criteria for Rice?😊
And Odegaard has been the face of our climb up as a club once again for the last few seasons.
When Odegaard is on his game the whole team ticks, and if he is not performing then the whole team looks toothless and bland. It’s very obvious.
And I am not against Declan Rice as I myself love the guy. He is such a nice, down to earth, hard working guy. But the ridiculousness of our fans to just want hand him the Captain’s Armband without actually substantiating that choice is what I am pushing back on.
Not a single person has given any critical analysis of why Rice should be the captain. It’s just surface level “He looks like a good Captain of the old days, he seems ragged and reminds us all of the types of Captains of Yesteryears etc..
Anyways. I will leave it at that. Have a good weekend.
Goonster,
Ken1945 gave you 7 good examples, the fact you chose to ignore them in your defense of Odegaard doesn’t detract from the fact that Odegaard should not be captain of this club.
He’s gone missing far to often in games, and yes he did miss the likes of White and Saka in periods during the season. But for me that says more about him than White and Saka. If two player’s missing affected him that much, maybe he’s not the player that some rave about. For me he’s a good player, and nothing more. But I’ll say it again, captain of our club, not for me I’m afraid.
Just a heads up Goonster,
On the Arsenal website Rice has just been voted the player of the season. Our next captain in waiting I hope. 👍
Before you go and sign off, I could have given you many other examples of Rice being out dominant player, such as the city115 home game, but I’m not going into chapter and verse on every point, as it’s just my opinion and I notice that you didn’t answer my question as to whether you could prove we wouldn’t have got more points with Rice as captain.
The fact that Declan has won our player of the year, speaks volumes regarding his commitment, performance, capabilities and leadership skills, so I’m going to leave it at that also.
I actually find it all really sad that it’s come to this
There was a lot to be said imo for Goonster’s views. It’s got nothing to do with Odegaard’s form or Rice’s either. Odegaard has come in for unbelievable levels of criticism as if he is the architect of our season’s disappointments.
Views are being based on current form and have little to do with what is going on behind the scenes. Me – I have no problem at all with Odegaard being captain. He’s been more than good enough. I don’t care if he tousles his hair or rubs his nose. On the occasional visits I’ve made to the Emirates, Odegaard has done a circuit of the ground thanking supporters. If he’s waving his arms about it’s because he wants a reaction from the crowd. He speaks well, he’s not got a cupboard full of skeletons as far as I can tell, and I’m not getting the vibes that he is unpopular. What more do you want?
I also think Rice is a cracking young man. Has all the necessary components to also be an Arsenal captain and has the boy next door appeal. I like him a lot.
If someone can tell me what really makes Rice a better captain than the one we have then I’d love to read it. Or more to the point, why fix what isn’t actually broken? Both are excellent characters. Sacking Odegaard by Arteta for anything other than extended loss of form is not in the team’s best interests imo.
@PJ-SA
I came across the word “Sensationalism” at least 25 years ago in my High School yearsZ
And it intuitively fits the likes of yourself. Hence why I use it to refer to the likes of yourself.
I also use it in my religious and political encounters to (Left, Right, Middle etc). It’s worse in the Political / Religious arenas as Politics is all about Sensationalism (appealing to peoples deeply held intuitions and emotional beliefs.).
So in politics I toggle between the terms “Triggered and Sensationalist” depending on how the individual comes across..
Hope that helped elaborate on why I like using the term “Sensationalism / sensationalist etc” when referring to fellow Gunners like yourself.
👍👍
Totally agree PJ, spot on.
I would like to see Rice as captain as I think he is better suited than Ode is. IMHO the only way this will happen is if Ode realises this and requests to stand down so that he can concentrate on playing his game. All for the good of the team of course.
I wouldn’t strip him of the captaincy – wouldn’t accomplish anything imo. I would like arteta to be more willing to drop him when he’s off form – use others and switch up the tactics. Hopefully next season he’ll be more willing to throw nwaneri into games
I don’t think “stripping” him of the captaincy is a good idea.
Possibly “releasing” him of captaincy would not be a bad idea. Not having the pressure of captaincy may see a much more focused Odegaard.
If Arteta explained to him it’s not about his leadership, but more to release him of the burden.
Some really good posts in this article.
My personal view is that ex captains like McClintock,, Adams, Vieira and Henry did make a difference, because they were natural born leaders.
I was completely wrong about Ode, when MA signed him, as I thought he was too fragile for the PL but he proved me wrong.
However, he isn’t the type of captain as those I mentioned above and we have all seen how Rice galvanised WHU when he captained them.
So for me it’s overdue, let Odegaard concentrate on being the linchpin he undoubtedly is and use Rice to drive the players and the crowd forward.
Excellent article!!
I think that this is premature by a year. We have to see what transpires in the summer and what the make-up is like going into August.
The other thing is that there are a lot of different types of captains across pro sports. Some are in your face and visible in a game and some do their work in the room. As long as it works for the team, that is all that matters.
The other thing I wonder about is I hear absolutely no noise (other than amongst ourselves) about him as captain. Sometimes you hear rumblings from teams about discontent, I don’t hear that from us at all (doesn’t mean it isn’t there, I just don’t hear it).
My view is short of a really strong campaign this coming season Arteta will be gone and then the new person makes the call. And I hope for a really strong campaign just to be clear 🙂
Stripping Odegaard of the captaincy will most likely unsettle him and have a negative impact on his performances in football matches.
Odegaard leads the press when we play and that is an attribute of a good football club captain. However, the personality/presence a captain brings seems to be lacking in Odegaard. When the chips are down, the ability to inspire and motivate the team mates to fight and get a positive result seems not to be obvious in Odegaard.
These attributes are very glaring in Declan Rice, besides Declan Rice was a former captain of West Ham Utd even though he was one of the youngest players in the team (that must have been largely due to him having the natural attributes of being a leader). He also led West Ham Utd to win the Europa conference league, so he knows what it takes to push his team mates to achieve something remarkable.
Has Odegaard won any trophies as a club captain?
It’s a hard decision in my opinion.
I’ll suggest Odegaard continues as captain and Declan Rice promoted to vice captain. In games where Odegaard might be dropped to the bench for poor form, or injuries, Rice captains those games.
Perhaps another idea that seems to have worked in the past, Tooman, would be a club captain in Odegaard who would face the press, do interviews etc, while Rice was the onfield captain?
Sorry, Topman!!
That could work ken1945.
Thanks for the input.
Odegaard has one bad season, along with many others, with plenty of mitigating circumstances by the way, yet some fans not only want him stripped of the captaincy, but sold as well!
The disloyalty, and disrespect is unbelievable, yet not surprising from the social media generation, who are absolutely clueless! I bet if they got their wish, and Odegaard moved to one of our rivals, they’d be the first to complain about his loyalty!
I guess if Saka has a big injury next season, and doesn’t find his form, he’ll be the next they want out!
What modern day fans do not realize is that the captain of today is nothing like what we imagine it to be from history. The likes of Adams, Vieira, Keane, etc, berating their teammates to get them going is a thing of the past, and not really possible in today’s cancel/woke culture where people get upset at the idea of getting upset!
That said, Odegaard is vocal though, and certainly leads by example in regards to his work ethic. Even this season, where he’s been off form, his pressing, and tracking back is right up there with Rice and Martinelli.
Let’s also not forget that he usually does lead by example with his performances, winning back-to-back Arsenal player of the year, ahead of the likes of Saliba, Saka, Rice, etc.
He was out 2 months. Saka was out longer. You can be awful from November all the way to May and blaming it on an injury the whole time. Saka came back and done more than him. End of the day everyone is paid millions to do a job and perform it’s not a social club. The club and fans are loyal by paying the players their wages, and fans by supporting the players. I support and hope everyone who plays for us does well but we all also want to win of course. If Odegaard is no the way forward then it is what it is and we move on from the player or find a new starter. As every club does. I’m not writing him off after one bad season but if it becomes two then yes, we need a new attacking mid and Ode has shown himself to be unreliable
I don’t see disloyalty and disrespect in asking a question that doesn’t negate the worth of the individual as a player.
We have all seen Martin struggling this season and want him to get back to his brilliant best.
If taking the burden of the captaincy away from him in order to regain that form, isn’t that showing loyalty and respect?
You make some fine points. I agree it is very disrespectful to the player; and even the club. Most of those commenting and supporting this question are those who didn’t want him in the first place. They are inherently biased for whatever reason and it is essential to consider that their views do not necessarily represent the views of the wider fanbase, particularly more sensible and balanced fans.
Odegaard has had a rather difficult season but he hasn’t been ‘poor’ or ‘awful’ as some fans claim.
Remind me how many times Arteta yanked Ode from the field this season. That’snot what a manager does to a captain on a regular. Give the job to Rice a born leader. And if Ode gets all moppy eyed about, Bench him
Consider, yes go through with it no. If he underperforms again I’d just get rid honestly.
not sure why we are making such a big thing regarding the captains arm band. have seen teams pass around the arm band on two or three occasions in a game this season , city and pool being some of the teams.
hes in the huddle and so is Rice and co making there point of view.
i think he has had a mediocre season compared to previous season but i still see him putting in a shift. closing down from the front and at times the only one closing down, which is not our game as all need to being doing that if we are to be successful.
i prefer him in the team rather then out as he is one of a few at the moment who is a risky player. try and thread a pass and open play up, where others are happy to move the ball side to side.
on his day and hopefully he regains that for next season where his day is most games and he is consistent then he make us tick and look slick. we do need competition and ESR was that back up but constant injury robbed him of giving MO a run for his money
i certainly dont want to go back to the dark old days of having a midfield made up of Guendouzi, Torreira and co. we do need to add more quality and hopefully this window we can. we have a summer of rest, everyone should come back fit and hungry. we will smash what ever is put in front of us and go on and lift the title this season.
onwards and upwards
The elections are skewed just as usual.
I won’t be surprised if he is named player of the season this year, too.
He wasn’t amongst our top three player last season.
Good player over hyped.
That is the problem you are seeing.
Didn’t realise we were voting on the subject but if we are then i would cast my vote as him staying and playing
If you think we have a better player within the squad to fill his boots then I am intrigued to find out who and will stand corrected
Dear editor JA, please remove or update the match reports and preview section. The contents by now are obsolete and some of them even makes us recall some upsetting defeats. Just leave those intact that only deal with the triumphant women’s team.
😊😁😂
In certain clubs winning a respectable continental trophy in Europa League and also securing UCL spots is not enough for the coach to guarantee his position. So Spurs axed Ange Utd did likewise before. Arsenal too happy and complacent with consecutive 2nds. The pervasive culture of mediocrity!
Breaking news
SPURS ….ITS HAPPENED AGAIN LOL
Apparently Dan,
On sacking Poch, Daniel Levy said to him that winning a trophy🏆 at Spurs was a no, no. And therefore he had no choice but to sack him. 😂🤣👍
🎵season 3 season 3 Postecoglou,
season 3 season 3 you say
season 3 season 3 Postecoglou,
you got sacked before the very first day🎵
Herr Drier,
I’d join in with your song, But I’ve forgotten the words. 😂👍
In the last match of last season Rice was the captain and that win was historic as it broke a century old record. Let Rice continue and roll the luck in the new season. Editor you can summarize the thumbs up and down counts and submit the findings to the decision makers at least for curiosity sake.
Arsenal’s problem is not captaincy, go get decent striker that can put away the numerous chances the midfield produce all the time. Not all those clowns we have upfront as strikers
100% agree. He under-whelmed as a player too. Declan Rice is the right person to lead the Gunners.
A Captain needs to be a consistent inspirational player. He needs to be the light in the darkest of times. Odegaard cannot do this. Success is measured by KPI’s – in this case trophies and individual performance.
What is Odegard supposed to do in a team that does not have a striker that can put the multiple chances the midfield provides every match? Leave the guy alone, he is not arsenal problem.
Odegard is not Arsenal’s problem. And captaincy is definitely not arsenal problem.
Leave Odegard alone, go buy striker that can put the multiple chances the midfield provide match after match.