Mikel Arteta Challenges His Team To ‘Show A Different Face’ After Odegaard Blow

By The Editor
on 20th September 2024

Arteta is preparing for life without Odegaard…

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has challenged his squad to “show a different face” in the absence of Martin Odegaard who’s facing a lengthy spell on the sidelines.

Arteta told the press this week that Odegaard has suffered damage to his ankle ligaments following the incident during Norway’s Nations League game against Austria earlier this month.

The 25-year-old has been undergoing extensive scans to give the club’s medical staff a clearer picture of the prognosis and the next course of action.

While a timescale on his rehabilitation hasn’t been made public, Arteta stressed that we’ll be without the former Real Madrid man “for a while.”

Now, in the absence of the Gunners skipper, Arteta has challenged his side to prove they can cope without their talisman and maintain our quest towards becoming champions.

“Yes, but we have to show that,” the Spaniard told the press when asked if he felt the squad could manage without Odegaard.

“He’s our captain – he’s one of our biggest players. He’s been one of the most consistent players in the last two or three seasons.

“Our identity is very related to his way of playing and his way of behaving. We’re going to have to deal with [his absence] and that’s a great test for the team as well – how capable we are to show maybe a different face.

“The fact [is] we have other players and other options that can be very effective,” Arteta added.

Arsenal’s tough schedule exacerbates Arteta’s issues and while we have to find a solution for the trip to the Etihad Stadium, our game run looks more favourable post-Sunday.

Four home fixtures across three competitions complete our schedule before the next international break, hopefully allowing us two more weeks to recover players from the treatment table.