Arsenal was hopeful that Martin Odegaard’s injury would only keep him out of their match against Tottenham, and that he would be fit before their fixture against Manchester City.
The Norwegian has been one of their top performers since joining the club, and they missed his creativity in the game against Tottenham.
Although they won that match, Odegaard’s presence could have allowed them to score more and play a more attacking game.
However, it now appears that he may be sidelined for longer than initially expected, with David Ornstein providing an update on his potential return date.
He said in The Athletic Podcast:
“It looks like a significant injury, but look, we don’t know.
“The last I heard, they didn’t have the full clarity from the scan still, because of the extent of the swelling, but the extent of the swelling concerns you, if you’re an Arsenal fan.”
Just Arsenal Opinion
Odegaard is too important for us to lose for a long time, but our other players must step up and keep the team winning games until he returns.
We have long hated being seen as a one-man team, and this period offers us a chance to show that we do not rely on a single star.
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Told you earlier today it was a serious injury 😟
Should have kept Emile
Can’t predict these sort of things, but you can certainly plan for them. If Odegaard is injured for a long period of time, it could pose a big problem.
Havertz is great cover for him, but that leaves us with Jesus as striker (who can’t score), Trossard (who lacks the physicality), or Sterling, which I wouldn’t want to gamble my season on as striker.
Havertz could remain striker, but who fills the midfield spot? Nwaneri is too young and inexperienced to cover for an extended period, and Trossard in midfield leaves us weak defensively.
Merino out makes it worse, so hopefully Odegaard isn’t seriously injured and only misses a couple of weeks. A couple months and we have a big problem.
He should not be released for a Norway game for the rest of the season. All for a mickey mouse International fixture that no one gave a damn about.
Problem with not releasing him for internationals, if he is fit, is that he can be suspended for 2 club games.
We shouldn’t deceive ourselves. Havertz is never a cover for Odegaard.
He lacks all the skill sets to play CAM.
Better we start grooming Nwaneri.
Hope Arteta gives him more game as Pep did with Rico Lewis and the likes.
Havertz was celebrated by German media for playing #10 just last week, while Havertz is not an exact like-for-like for Odegaard but then again no-one is (like the “Arsenal get your own Haaland” nonsense)
where you are right is that Arsenal have stop looking to Havertz to play #9, #8, #10 and even right wing if needed
but just like Spurs on the weekend, the Man C game is a one-off Areta needs to find a plan for, and much better off with Rice back in
Odegaard and Merino will be available in October and everything will seem different, but for now it is about Man C and if that means assigning Havertz whatever role (e.g. Spurs 11 duels won and second most distance run) then so be it, just be thankful we have that option
Got a sneaky feeling that it might be his ankle ligaments. If it is, then he will be out for a few weeks.
if it is ligaments then unlikely to see him before xmas, when I tore my ankle ligaments the doctor said ‘the good news is it’s not broken, the bad news is it may as well be’ as I spent the next 6 weeks on crutches let alone running and playing PL football, so I suspect it is not ligaments, or bone, or muscle but a bad sprain or twist, or may be that is wishful thinking…
Hopefully he’s only sprained them, which happened to me many, many moons ago. Torn or ruptured, as you said, would mean he’ll be out for a long time.
Out for 3 months iv heard
Worse still re knee ligaments.is that they never really recover though modern medical standards have massively improved
ankle dude
Get well soon but Trossard can step up. At times against Spuds, I thought I was looking at Odergaard. Trossard plays very similar and similar positions.
What’s the problem? Arteta has always preached we need two players for every position. However, I have no clue who that is for Odegaards position. Before the transfer window I would have assumed ESR and / or Viera.
‘striker, striker, striker’ was the call in the transfer window, as if that is the only position on the pitch
the facts that Edu/Arteta appreciated is up front we do have depth and cover but midfield less so, hence Merino
but by a stunningly unlikely twist of fate he broke his shoulder in his first training session thanks to our won player
you could not make it up
but stand back, take a deep breath, it is only Man C now that it is really an issue until October, and for that game Rice is back, so not backs against the wall Spurs style
we can do it, Arteta probably already knew but the ‘lets see if he makes the squad’ has obviously been rumbled so being a bit more transparent now
It wasn’t the only position, but it was/is a very important one, nevertheless. I don’t see how we have “depth and cover” there as it only requires Havertz to be injured (but he rarely is some say – in fact just like Odegaard) and we’re very light.
As we’ve all seen in the space of a few short weeks of the season – things happen! Injuries, suspensions etc. But whether it’s a striker or midfielder we are where we are.
Arsenal and Arteta will just have to get on with it – like every other club that has these problems – as best they can. We can be sure of one thing though, there will be other crises, large or small, before the end of May.
This is exactly what I always feared most: a lengthy injury to Odegaard.
He’s probably the one player that is most difficult to replace in that Arsenal team, in my opinion .
Now what I feared most has happened. Too bad.
We have gone through one tough game without him and come out unscathed. Let’s hope our brave trojans can hold the Fort through this injury crisis
Odegaard can’t be replaced one for one, either in the squad or in the transfer market – so we have to adapt a bit rather than straight swap in like it might be at leftback or leftwing, may be not as dramatic a change in style as Spurs as we have Rice back remember
if Arteta pulls off victory at Man C after the Spurs triumph then I hope the ‘Arteta Out’ brigade retreat up their own arse forever
When we’re at home trying to break down an inferior team playing a stubborn low block, I want to see Nwaneri playing ten and we can have a good look and see if he should be the main replacement. We have to find out who else in this team can play through balls
Most times in football what you get is an equally good player not like for like. We had Santi doing well as our 10 before Mesut came in, they were never like for like. We need a 10 who is equally good or who would be able to do a job our captain does if the situation arose. One thing I can pick out about our manager is that he is a slave master. He didn’t use the depth of his squad last season, continued to use a set of trusted players only. There was no plan in the summer to buy someone to relieve our captain at times. Even without injury he would need it. Our manager rarely thinks of managing player work load. He didn’t manage Parteys’ in his early days as a gunner. So is Saliba now, Gabriel, Saka, Martinelli before he got burnt out. If you get a run of game time in arsenal anywhere from midfield to attack, chances are you get burnt out in 4 weeks if you don’t have durability. I can see our manager has decided to improve now, the only mistake was not getting another 10 unless he anticipated playing Rice or Zinchenko there. Players are scared of coming to arsenal because they fear they won’t play. They don’t fancy their chances or believe in their abilities when it comes to arsenal, instead they need assurances and presentations from our manager to convince them. He has this season to change that impression. Give players a run out when a game is closed. Even for players performing like Trossard, his hands has to be forced at times before he plays him.
He’s out for 3 months, I’m reading….
GB
I picked up it was one ankle ligament with Arteta saying:-
Going to lose him for a while but hopefully not months
Not encouraging at all really
I am a realist and observing that type of injury normally take take a player out for 2 o 3 months ,I thing that with luck he will be back in November.In the meantime if we do not find a solution soon our aim to fight for the Title will be gone.
The only player with similar style is the young Nwanery but still too inexperienced.