Incredibly one footed. If he cannot use his preferred foot he will delay until he can, even if the situation requires us to pass the ball quicker.
Sometimes, he elects to not make simple passes further up the pitch even if the pass is on. Sometimes it feels like he does not want to make the "obvious" pass and wants to do something a little more unpredictable instead. Leads to him delaying and allowing the opponents to position themselves. That's a personal view though.
He can definitely make better forward runs this season. Seems like he wants the game in front of him too much. Instruction maybe.
His weight of pass in the final 3rd is wildly inconsistent. Overhits and underhits through balls slightly. He plays these balls often, but they are not that effective since they don't set the receiver up to do well with it.
I have doubts whether he can become a more traditional 10 at a high enough level with a Zubimendi type signing coming in. But I hope he can adapt! I do sometimes think though...someone like Wirtz in his place would push us higher. Less out of possession but so much more offensively. Arsenal need the balance to shift more offensively in my opinion. We are too conservative. We need bravery and unpredictability. Can he adapt to that in the way we would need?
All my opinions, I'm not an expert at all. I still believe he has a place here. Love the content Scott!
Not basing this on any data, but he seems to miss most of the clutch shot opportunities that have come his way and he seems to kill transitions a lot of the time.
Overrealiance not only on his left foot but whole left side vision. He only sees pitch trough his left foot. Idk if that could be shown trough numbers but its very obvious when you watch it. He cant win a ground duel if life depends on it. He really cant run with a ball and fend off a player. He is oftenly passive in a way he would rather try aestheticaly pleasing stuff and have unnecessary touches than play quick football. There are a lot of these small things that are making him bellow world class
My main criticism is his being too one footed and seeming unwillingness to improve his use of the right leg, chances to make a pass or shoot instantly are passed off because he needs to move the ball to his left. Then taking too many unnecessary touches which at times kills our transitions. As our main creator he's also too risk averse which maybe because of instructions. His shooting is so wayward I'm beginning to think 2022/23 was a fluke
i’d just point out that we had a functioning left side where those cutbacks he scored from were being supplied from in 22/23. but for a fella who is so technically adept, his finishing does leave a lot to be desired
I'm slightly bemused by all this comments because it seems like people don't understand what he does for the team. He's essentially got do 3 jobs at once.
1) Despite us playing with 2 quasi 6's he's still our primary ball progressor. We struggle massively to progress the ball safely when he or Jorghino aren't playing. Rice does don't remotely have a handle on it and despite Partey's reputation he's been quite conservative most games this season.
2) Main central playmaker, in a typical team you leave this player up but because we struggle with build up he basically has to lend the ball to Saka then sprint up the pitch and receive the ball again then start thinking about creating.
3)Leading the press, everyone knows what this is.
In a typical team a single player does each of these jobs, in some exceptional teams a player does 2 but all 3? I don't think it's sustainable. People questioned his POTY last season but it was clear to me that he was the one holding the team together but I don't think it's sustainable. I worry about the physical load on his body. You wanna hear something crazy? Odegaard has made only about 40 less appearances than Watkins. I do worry about how he ages. For criticism, he is comically one footed. And I think Clive on arsenalvision has noted that he doesn't think he plays well when he gets a very hard hit. I think despite the narrative about him online, his athleticism is his strength. He's a big stamina player, when he can't summon that stamina he doesn't play well. I think if we solve our build up challenges (praying for Zubi) he'll be far more deadly.
Given the way Arsenal set up, he is often the most advanced central player. Especially in transitions when Arsenal have won the ball pressing in the typical 4-4-2 OOP formation, but also when Kai decides to drift out wide and combine with the wingers/run the channel/post up on opposition full back/etc. or drops deeper into midfield to overload the LHS.
Ideally, when you have this 'false-9' system, you would want your '10' to be more of a goal threat with better movement/presence in the box and definitely better ball striking.
After the 22/23 season, I thought Arsenal's ability to find him on the cutback and his ability to put those chances away from the 10-20 yard range, would be enough to get him 12-16 goals from 50-70 shots across a season.
However, as Arsenal have struggled to creating openings down the left since 22/23, his number of shots per game have fallen (as he would typically be more likely to be at the end of the move when the chance is created on the left as oppose to attacks on the right where he would typically be a facilitator or creator earlier in the move).
Shots taken per 90: 22/23 - 1.71, 23/24 - 1.34, 24/25 - 1.20
I don't have the stats for the number of his shots that came from moves that developed on the left (just eye-balling it here but I count 10 of his 15 goals in 22/23 were shots where the ball came to him from a player in a more advanced position on his left) but I would suspect the reduction in threat on that side is a major contributor to his drop in shot output.
The fact that his shot output is reliant on one particular type of chance provides too singular a point of failure. He could work on his finishing from deeper/wider positions and also varying his runs into the box depending on where the build up is coming from. Of course, improving his right foot finishing would significantly help this and open up a whole new avenue of shooting opportunity.
(P.S. I'm definitely in the 'nitpicking' zone here and the ability to be an elite creator AND elite shot getter is rare but what puts you in the upper echelon of player, a la KDB but it is the only thing he could conceivably improve in his game that would put him in the next tier, almost everything else seems 90th%-tile+)
(P.P.S. the above is also part of the reason why I would favour an elite LHS wide attacker over an elite number 9 for Arsenal transfer-wise).
Big issue with Odegaard for me is him being extremely one footed. Agree with David's comments. All I will add is Ode finds himself in some really dangerous situations positions that call for a right footed pass that he delays until he can get the ball on his left and it's frustrating to see a lot of our other players including MLS and Ethan not be nearly as hesitant on their weaker foot.
I do think some of these issues can be mitigated by moving him to left 8 and rice to right 8 and that's where I blame the manager for not putting a player in the best position to succeed for the team.
1) very ineffective in transitions due to lack of athleticism. So 1/4 attackers can’t take advantage of transitional windows on the carry. Compare that to other elite teams (current and past) and even more an issue bc he is the first receiver when we play direct and opp is stretched vertically.
2) he is wc in leading the press but what is often overlooked here is that that also makes him one of the highest players (rest-attack) once we regain possession what brings us back to 1
3) I’d personally prefer more dynamism around Saka for overlaps and underlaps so there is less physical burden on RB (also good for rest defence)
4) not enough goal threat for someone with so many touches in and around the box
5) can’t offer runs from deep when we face higher lines (watch back Villa away itl) so we don’t have counter-movement for CF dropping deeper with CB following. Other 8 who could do that are 6/8s in Artetas eyes (Merino, Rice).
6) Some would say the solution is to deploy him deeper but that would make him a liability off the ball since he would have to defend in the double pivot in our block (which was the initial reason he is leading the press btw) bc making him still lead the press while having deeper touches would be inefficient in defensive transitions (distance delta of action zones iP-oop)
He is one of the best itw at controlling and creating once final 3rd pressure is sustained. So when he faces a low block without pressure from the back (often by receiving via Saka) but that’s a game-state you have far less in those big games that define seasons.
Most of the criticism I have noticed is just that. You can be the best player on the pitch for 9/10 games but not good enough for the 1/10.
It’s like picking the faults of your offspring but if you’re making us go there… not enough one or two touch passing (compared to multiple touch moves, not compared to other players), little running through the lines threat, no aerial goal threat, shot selection nowhere near as creative as his passing
His footwork against low blocks isn't reliable in the sense that teams know what will happen and generally are able to block it, except when he is more on the left side of the pitch next to someone like Trossard or Martinelli.
When he's next to Saka he occupies spaces where Saka would thrive better than Martin would, especially when Ben White I'd playing.
His scoring form took a dip this year which feeds onto frustration.
I hope he can find his feat back and that Mikel platforms the team around Saka rather than Ode. I love Odegaard and hope he comes back to his best form soon.
I think our squad construction/tendencies on the ball exacerbate this flaw but MØ is a relatively weak ball carrier over distance which limits our threat in transition. Also that right foot is only for stepping on the bus; Saka’s improved right foot has really taken him to another level and i wonder if it’s too late for Ø to make that addition to his game. Love him tho frfr
It would be great to see slices of his performance data in the periods after his injury early in the season, as well as after the birth of his kid & his illness. Recognizing its small sample size on the latter two, it would be interesting to figure out the extent to which injury, illness & potential sleep deficits have impacted his output. By comparison, has his positioning changed during these periods in ways that could explain any of the output data?
1. Seems to have stop shooting or shoots wildly off target when he does this season
2. Underhits a huge % of his passes. Especially when he is crossing the ball, there is no whip on it. When the ball lands on the attackers head, even in a good position, it is next to impossible to generate enough power to score. I would check his chances created stats to see how many of them were actually serious danger (mind you, xG of the shot after his chance created would also overestimate the quality)
3. Maybe too stuck on the right. This is probably by design, but I'd love for him to have more freedom, or to rotatet with the other 8
1. His goatee is too patchy, doesn't cover nearly enough ground on his face.
2. We have a 17 year old AM who already has a much fuller goatee, so you project out that Nwaneri's goatee will continue to develop at a rapid rate.
Can we get a Face Tilt or Hair Map breakdown between the two of them? Will help determine who has a more complete long-term profile.
Incredibly one footed. If he cannot use his preferred foot he will delay until he can, even if the situation requires us to pass the ball quicker.
Sometimes, he elects to not make simple passes further up the pitch even if the pass is on. Sometimes it feels like he does not want to make the "obvious" pass and wants to do something a little more unpredictable instead. Leads to him delaying and allowing the opponents to position themselves. That's a personal view though.
He can definitely make better forward runs this season. Seems like he wants the game in front of him too much. Instruction maybe.
His weight of pass in the final 3rd is wildly inconsistent. Overhits and underhits through balls slightly. He plays these balls often, but they are not that effective since they don't set the receiver up to do well with it.
I have doubts whether he can become a more traditional 10 at a high enough level with a Zubimendi type signing coming in. But I hope he can adapt! I do sometimes think though...someone like Wirtz in his place would push us higher. Less out of possession but so much more offensively. Arsenal need the balance to shift more offensively in my opinion. We are too conservative. We need bravery and unpredictability. Can he adapt to that in the way we would need?
All my opinions, I'm not an expert at all. I still believe he has a place here. Love the content Scott!
Not basing this on any data, but he seems to miss most of the clutch shot opportunities that have come his way and he seems to kill transitions a lot of the time.
Overrealiance not only on his left foot but whole left side vision. He only sees pitch trough his left foot. Idk if that could be shown trough numbers but its very obvious when you watch it. He cant win a ground duel if life depends on it. He really cant run with a ball and fend off a player. He is oftenly passive in a way he would rather try aestheticaly pleasing stuff and have unnecessary touches than play quick football. There are a lot of these small things that are making him bellow world class
My main criticism is his being too one footed and seeming unwillingness to improve his use of the right leg, chances to make a pass or shoot instantly are passed off because he needs to move the ball to his left. Then taking too many unnecessary touches which at times kills our transitions. As our main creator he's also too risk averse which maybe because of instructions. His shooting is so wayward I'm beginning to think 2022/23 was a fluke
i’d just point out that we had a functioning left side where those cutbacks he scored from were being supplied from in 22/23. but for a fella who is so technically adept, his finishing does leave a lot to be desired
I'm slightly bemused by all this comments because it seems like people don't understand what he does for the team. He's essentially got do 3 jobs at once.
1) Despite us playing with 2 quasi 6's he's still our primary ball progressor. We struggle massively to progress the ball safely when he or Jorghino aren't playing. Rice does don't remotely have a handle on it and despite Partey's reputation he's been quite conservative most games this season.
2) Main central playmaker, in a typical team you leave this player up but because we struggle with build up he basically has to lend the ball to Saka then sprint up the pitch and receive the ball again then start thinking about creating.
3)Leading the press, everyone knows what this is.
In a typical team a single player does each of these jobs, in some exceptional teams a player does 2 but all 3? I don't think it's sustainable. People questioned his POTY last season but it was clear to me that he was the one holding the team together but I don't think it's sustainable. I worry about the physical load on his body. You wanna hear something crazy? Odegaard has made only about 40 less appearances than Watkins. I do worry about how he ages. For criticism, he is comically one footed. And I think Clive on arsenalvision has noted that he doesn't think he plays well when he gets a very hard hit. I think despite the narrative about him online, his athleticism is his strength. He's a big stamina player, when he can't summon that stamina he doesn't play well. I think if we solve our build up challenges (praying for Zubi) he'll be far more deadly.
Given the way Arsenal set up, he is often the most advanced central player. Especially in transitions when Arsenal have won the ball pressing in the typical 4-4-2 OOP formation, but also when Kai decides to drift out wide and combine with the wingers/run the channel/post up on opposition full back/etc. or drops deeper into midfield to overload the LHS.
Ideally, when you have this 'false-9' system, you would want your '10' to be more of a goal threat with better movement/presence in the box and definitely better ball striking.
After the 22/23 season, I thought Arsenal's ability to find him on the cutback and his ability to put those chances away from the 10-20 yard range, would be enough to get him 12-16 goals from 50-70 shots across a season.
However, as Arsenal have struggled to creating openings down the left since 22/23, his number of shots per game have fallen (as he would typically be more likely to be at the end of the move when the chance is created on the left as oppose to attacks on the right where he would typically be a facilitator or creator earlier in the move).
Shots taken per 90: 22/23 - 1.71, 23/24 - 1.34, 24/25 - 1.20
I don't have the stats for the number of his shots that came from moves that developed on the left (just eye-balling it here but I count 10 of his 15 goals in 22/23 were shots where the ball came to him from a player in a more advanced position on his left) but I would suspect the reduction in threat on that side is a major contributor to his drop in shot output.
The fact that his shot output is reliant on one particular type of chance provides too singular a point of failure. He could work on his finishing from deeper/wider positions and also varying his runs into the box depending on where the build up is coming from. Of course, improving his right foot finishing would significantly help this and open up a whole new avenue of shooting opportunity.
(P.S. I'm definitely in the 'nitpicking' zone here and the ability to be an elite creator AND elite shot getter is rare but what puts you in the upper echelon of player, a la KDB but it is the only thing he could conceivably improve in his game that would put him in the next tier, almost everything else seems 90th%-tile+)
(P.P.S. the above is also part of the reason why I would favour an elite LHS wide attacker over an elite number 9 for Arsenal transfer-wise).
Big issue with Odegaard for me is him being extremely one footed. Agree with David's comments. All I will add is Ode finds himself in some really dangerous situations positions that call for a right footed pass that he delays until he can get the ball on his left and it's frustrating to see a lot of our other players including MLS and Ethan not be nearly as hesitant on their weaker foot.
I do think some of these issues can be mitigated by moving him to left 8 and rice to right 8 and that's where I blame the manager for not putting a player in the best position to succeed for the team.
My feedback is...I truly love MØ.
1) very ineffective in transitions due to lack of athleticism. So 1/4 attackers can’t take advantage of transitional windows on the carry. Compare that to other elite teams (current and past) and even more an issue bc he is the first receiver when we play direct and opp is stretched vertically.
2) he is wc in leading the press but what is often overlooked here is that that also makes him one of the highest players (rest-attack) once we regain possession what brings us back to 1
3) I’d personally prefer more dynamism around Saka for overlaps and underlaps so there is less physical burden on RB (also good for rest defence)
4) not enough goal threat for someone with so many touches in and around the box
5) can’t offer runs from deep when we face higher lines (watch back Villa away itl) so we don’t have counter-movement for CF dropping deeper with CB following. Other 8 who could do that are 6/8s in Artetas eyes (Merino, Rice).
6) Some would say the solution is to deploy him deeper but that would make him a liability off the ball since he would have to defend in the double pivot in our block (which was the initial reason he is leading the press btw) bc making him still lead the press while having deeper touches would be inefficient in defensive transitions (distance delta of action zones iP-oop)
Addendum:
He is one of the best itw at controlling and creating once final 3rd pressure is sustained. So when he faces a low block without pressure from the back (often by receiving via Saka) but that’s a game-state you have far less in those big games that define seasons.
Most of the criticism I have noticed is just that. You can be the best player on the pitch for 9/10 games but not good enough for the 1/10.
It’s like picking the faults of your offspring but if you’re making us go there… not enough one or two touch passing (compared to multiple touch moves, not compared to other players), little running through the lines threat, no aerial goal threat, shot selection nowhere near as creative as his passing
If it's possible would be interesting to investigate the following aspects:
- his sprints in general
- his runs into the box, especially compared to 22/23 and 23/24 seasons
- his average position and heatmap also compared to previous seasons.
Thanks!
His footwork against low blocks isn't reliable in the sense that teams know what will happen and generally are able to block it, except when he is more on the left side of the pitch next to someone like Trossard or Martinelli.
When he's next to Saka he occupies spaces where Saka would thrive better than Martin would, especially when Ben White I'd playing.
His scoring form took a dip this year which feeds onto frustration.
I hope he can find his feat back and that Mikel platforms the team around Saka rather than Ode. I love Odegaard and hope he comes back to his best form soon.
I think our squad construction/tendencies on the ball exacerbate this flaw but MØ is a relatively weak ball carrier over distance which limits our threat in transition. Also that right foot is only for stepping on the bus; Saka’s improved right foot has really taken him to another level and i wonder if it’s too late for Ø to make that addition to his game. Love him tho frfr
also not a criticism per se but if saka is on the pitch i don’t want to see Ø over a dead ball.
It would be great to see slices of his performance data in the periods after his injury early in the season, as well as after the birth of his kid & his illness. Recognizing its small sample size on the latter two, it would be interesting to figure out the extent to which injury, illness & potential sleep deficits have impacted his output. By comparison, has his positioning changed during these periods in ways that could explain any of the output data?
1. Seems to have stop shooting or shoots wildly off target when he does this season
2. Underhits a huge % of his passes. Especially when he is crossing the ball, there is no whip on it. When the ball lands on the attackers head, even in a good position, it is next to impossible to generate enough power to score. I would check his chances created stats to see how many of them were actually serious danger (mind you, xG of the shot after his chance created would also overestimate the quality)
3. Maybe too stuck on the right. This is probably by design, but I'd love for him to have more freedom, or to rotatet with the other 8