Arsenal will want to keep up their winning ways in the Premier League with a significant win today against AFC Bournemouth, but they will have a real challenge.
As the team that came dangerously close to abandoning their title ambitions early in the previous campaign, Mikel Arteta will aim to play this match with little fanfare in the hopes of outclassing them.
Which player is hurt for Arsenal’s match against AFC Bournemouth?
Nevertheless, they appear to be a critically weakened squad going into the game, as they have been dealing with a lot of injuries over the last few weeks.
During his pre-game press conference, the Spaniard would inform reporters:
Declan is yet to train; we have a session in one hour, and we will learn more about him then. Leo is in the same predicament as Saka, Gabi [Martinelli] hasn’t trained. Willy [Saliba] received a knock, but Fabio [Viera] was not present, and they are all in the same pool. Today is the day to evaluate them.
Considering that some of his biggest talents are among those listed, what was already a difficult assignment away from home has turned into a real struggle to win any points at all, with their squad’s depth being put to the test. Though none of the aforementioned players began the game, a fierce midweek victory over Brentford in the EFL Cup should give hope that a victory is still achievable.
But even with a thin lineup, Martin Odegaard is one such player they only have to keep in mind. He has more than enough skill to take all three points by himself.
The quality of Martin Odegaard?
The Norwegian master has quickly established himself as one of the best midfield creators in the division since joining from Real Madrid for a fee of £30 million.
He ended the previous season as the club’s co-top scorer after scoring an incredible 15 goals and dishing out eight assists.
That two of those goals actually happened against the Cherries should also be mentioned. They tapped in the first one from close range away from home before curling one in just inside the box to make it 2-0. Arteta will be hoping for a similar showing today after the Gunners’ impressive away performance that launched what would turn out to be an incredible season.
Good thing is that Odegaard has also begun the new term in scorching form, indicating that there’s a good chance the 24-year-old can duplicate that performance. According to Sofascore, he has an outstanding 7.30 league average rating, supported by his two goals, 1.3 crucial passes, and two tackles per game.
Claimant back in January, writer Declan Carr would try to celebrate the development of a man who is a strong candidate to win this weekend:
“Martin Odegaard has grown into the elite player that many once predicted him to be, and he now leads Arsenal as a true leader.”
Arteta will likely be most happy that his captain is still healthy, even though the probable absences of Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka, who contributed 25 and 20 goals in the league last season, respectively, will be felt greatly.
He can give the opportunities if there’s just a scrap of talent in front of him. Should that not be the case, he possesses the evident ability to score goals on his own. It looks like lightning is about to strike twice at Vitality Stadium.
