Arsenal information: Martin Odegaard informed to ‘battle’ as dressing room response speaks volumes
Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard will face a battle to reclaim his starting spot after Eberechi Eze’s stunning hat-trick inspired the Gunners to a 4-1 thrashing of Tottenham
The aftermath of Arsenal’s 4-1 thrashing of Tottenham Hotspur was quite revealing.
In another commanding performance this season, Mikel Arteta’s squad made light work of their city rivals, extending their lead at the top of the Premier League to six points.
Eberechi Eze’s spectacular hat-trick led the charge, making him the first Gunner to score a treble against their north London derby foes since 1978. At the start of the season, many in the media predicted another year without a Premier League title for the Gunners.
However, with each passing week, Arsenal continues to lay down markers, signalling to the nation that their season is on track to culminate in lifting the ultimate prize. With their only loss coming against Liverpool back in August, Arteta’s team has been formidable ever since.
After Sunday’s match, Jamie Carragher had some stern advice for one Arsenal star, and the dressing room reaction was revealed as Daily Star Sport delves into the biggest stories surrounding the league leaders.
Jamie Carragher’s words of wisdom for Martin Odegaard
Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher advised Martin Odegaard that despite being the club’s captain, he’ll face a tough challenge to regain his place in the starting line-up due to Eze’s form, reports the Mirror.
The Norwegian leader has been plagued by injury this season and has missed Arsenal’s last eight matches due to a knee problem.
In the absence of Odegaard, Eze has risen to the occasion, first netting the winner against his old club Crystal Palace last month and now with a stunning hat-trick against Spurs.
Speaking to Sky Sports post-match, Jamie Carragher said: “There was always this talk they [Arsenal] needed a goal-scorer. They needed to score more goals, certainly last season to compete with Liverpool. But Arsenal in general play didn’t create enough, that was a problem.
“Doesn’t matter who your striker is, if you’re not creating chances for him, he’s not there to finish. He’s [Eze] made a difference with that. Even this season if we go back to early on, if we go back to Anfield, that was almost like the Arsenal of last season.
“I’m certain Eze played [in the next game] at Newcastle away and you felt like there was a difference. It just feels like his signing, which I felt to be fair would just be something that would be to back up Odegaard — Odegaard is out at the moment – but Odegaard has a real fight.”
Dressing room reaction
This Arsenal team that has been built by Arteta has already endured multiple league heartbreaks but it’s certainly seemed to make them stronger.
The party atmosphere after the full-time whistle blew on Sunday was evident with the tens of thousands of fans dancing while the likes of Gabriel Magalhaes, despite his injury, and Bukayo Saka joined in.
Arsenal released footage of the players in the tunnel heading into the dressing room with Eze coming in for massive praise with injured stars such as Odegaard and Viktor Gyokeres waiting to hurl compliments at their team-mates.
The team spirit at the Emirates seem to be at an all-time high and given the results they are earning and the 15-match unbeaten run they currently possess, why wouldn’t it be?
