Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard suffers embarrassing misunderstanding during 2-0 FA Cup defeat to Liverpool
Arsenal's recent poor run of form continued as the Gunners were unceremoniously knocked out of the FA Cup after losing 2-0 to Liverpool at home on Sunday, January 7. During the match, captain Martin Odegaard had an embarrassing misunderstanding as he accidentally rallied the opposition fans instead of his own.
Having lost two games on the trot, Arsenal entered the FA Cup tie hoping to reverse their fortunes. The north London club looked to have the clash under control, creating chances left, right, and center in the first half. However, subpar finishing from Arteta's men ensured Liverpool's survival in the tie with the scoreline reading 0-0 at half-time. The Reds eventually broke the deadlock and went on to win the bout, thanks to an own goal from Jakub Kiwior (80') and a sublime finish from Luis Diaz (90+5').
With the tie level and the ball out of play in the first half, Arsenal skipper Martin Odegaard approached the crowd in front of him and waved to the stands to exact support. Nevertheless, it later turned out to be the away stand, meaning that Odegaard was actually pleading to the Reds' supporters.
Despite his amusing blunder, Odegaard proved to be one of the best players for the Gunners, providing four key passes in the game. He also launched four crosses and one long ball while maintaining a decent pass accuracy of 81%. Nevertheless, poor finishing from his forwards meant the Norwegian maestro remained without a goal or an assist.
With just one win in their last seven matches across all competitions, Arsenal's form has plummeted drastically despite a bright start to the season. Having exited the FA Cup, the Gunners remain in contention for the Premier League, occupying the fourth position at the time of writing. Arsenal have also qualified for the knockout stages of the Champions League and will face FC Porto next month.
Arsenal recently missed out on the signing of an American-born wunderkind: Reports
If their clash against Liverpool was anything to go by, Arsenal's woeful finishing has been holding them back this season. Consequently, the Gunners have been scouting the market to look for attacking threats that could solve their problems in front of goal.
One such option for Mikel Arteta was 16-year-old Dino Klapija, who currently plies his trade for Croatian outfit NK Kustosija. Having sent scouts to observe the youngster for three games running, Arteta was reportedly keen on securing Klapija's signature. The scouts even made a case to Klapija's family for the signing, but the player's close ones seem to prefer a move to the Bundesliga.
As reported by the Daily Mail, Dino Klapija's representatives have instead agreed a £4.8m deal with RB Leipzig for the transfer of the 16-year-old forward. Klapija's camp reportedly believes that the youngster will have better chances to flourish, as well as receive regular playing time in Germany rather than England.