Odegaard looks ready to serve

Reading too much into preseason

We have to be careful when watching preseason matches. The level of teams can be vastly different, the players faced even within the game can be vastly different given that there are often unlimited subs and wholesale switches of the 11 players on the pitch, it is also mostly a training exercise focused on getting ready for the season.

All that being said...

One of the things that really stood out for me in last night's friendly against Orlando City was Martin Odegaard's combos with Saka and Jesus.

His most common pass targets in this match were Saka with 9, Ben White with 9, and Jesus with 6. He already had a very good understanding with Saka and it is looking like he is fast developing an understanding with Jesus.

The other thing that makes me giddy is the thought of him being able to feed our attackers with a steady diet of through balls to feast on.

Last season he ranked 11th in the Premier League in though balls completed (Wyscout definition here, they are much more generous with this than the other data companies) with 56. That is a respectable 1.7 per 90 (it does drop his ranking to 21st) but I think that is just scratching the surface of what he is capable of doing with runners in front of him.

This preseason he has already completed 5 in two halves of playing including 4 against Orlando.

‌I think that this is something that can certainly bring him to the next level from being a good creative player to an elite creative player.

I am excited to see what the season holds.