Before every game at Emirates Stadium, Martin Odegaard lifts the lid on the mood in the camp via his captain’s notes published in the matchday programme.
Ahead of today’s game against Everton, Martin chats about our recent run of matches on the road, youngsters getting their chance, and gives an indication of when he hopes to be back in action. Here is a snippet:
A lot has happened since our last game here at home, and since then we are still in a very good position in all the competitions.
We want to build the momentum at this stage of the season, and it’s never easy to play against Chelsea, so the win was what mattered on the day. It was definitely a big win for us, and another example of how tough this league is, and how tight the margins are in every single game. Finding a way to win those games is absolutely key, and we did that again, so we’ll definitely take that. We know there are things we can improve and work on, but winning is always good.
Then we travelled to Brighton for the next game, and I watched that on TV at home. It’s never the best to watch from the sofa, so I can definitely relate to all the supporters who watch at home! I’d much rather be out there of course, with a feeling you are more in control and can influence it.
It was not the best performance from us, and there were a lot of things we could have done better, but whenever you find a way to win away in the Premier League it’s a good result. You see that in every single game, not just for us, and that was the case that night as well. The win at Brighton felt big for us, especially with other results going our way that night.
I thought Mansfield made it difficult for us last weekend, but there was a different context there as well. The pitch, the stadium, the atmosphere – everything is different. They obviously went into the game with everything to gain, and a lot of hunger and determination. They were prepared to do anything to get the win, so we had to match that spirit. It’s probably the game of the season for them, a proper cup match, so we did well to find a way to win again. It was a great goal from Ebs to get that win and to get into the next round.
Read more Learn Odegaard’s captaincy style in Modern Leader
I was really pleased for Jaden Dixon to make his debut too, another young player coming through to get his chance like we’ve seen a lot already this season. It shows what we are as a club, and the manager trusts young players here, and that’s always good to see. It gives everyone a lift – all of us in the first team squad too – when we see young players come through to get game time, because it means so much to everyone and it’s always a special moment when someone can make their Arsenal debut.
After a few away games recently, it’s great to be back home in front of our own supporters again this afternoon. I’m desperate to get back to playing as soon as I can. It’s been difficult for me with the knee injury lately, but I’m working as hard as I can to get back to full fitness now. The main thing is to be 100% again, and make sure I can properly help the team.
It’s obviously another big game for us this afternoon against Everton, and the team are really focused. Everton are a really strong team, a really physical team who are good in all different aspects of the game. It’s always a big test against them, so we need to be really on it today from the first whistle, go out there and enjoy it, and fight to get the win.
Being back home is something we are all looking forward to now, and all playing our part to keep the momentum up. We don’t play another league game after this for a few weeks, so this game is going to be so important going into that period, making sure we put ourselves in a strong position.
Read the rest of Martin’s notes, as well as a host of other fantastic content, by buying the Arsenal v Everton programme either around the stadium or online.
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