John Aggrey

Good enough is not optimal. Arsenal’s attacking dynamics are good enough with Ødegaard in the #10, but they are not optimal, even if he is an elite talent ala Bernardo Silva. What world class #10 is used on the edge of their box from goal kicks? Says a lot about his profile. And, before you tell me that he scored the breakthrough goal, that was simply a consequence of Madueke being the most dangerous player on the pitch, Arsenal having relentless sustained pressure, and Ødegaard being there to tap a loose ball home. I’m not saying the lack of creativity was all his fault (Tzolis was poor), and Arsenal actually played particularly well in the second half, but the dynamics will never be optimal with him in the right-sided #10. Sorry, but I strive for perfection. Arsenal are about as close at it gets to that but with a Rogers-type #10 who defends and leads like Ødegaard then they’d be virtually flawless (Gibbs-White, for example). He’s two-footed, strikes through the ball on both feet, can carry, can run beyond, overlap and underlap, stay high/between the lines… basically everything Ødegaard can’t do unless given 100 attacks to produce 2 or 3 meaningful moments. The goal threat both have in transition AND against the low block is not even close relative to collective influence. The control that Ødegaard gives the team with and without the ball may be a huge reason as to why Arsenal sustain pressure in the first place, and I respect that, but his influence as a pure #10 is far from elite.