“Has been a little bit off with his play” - Arsenal icon Ian Wright disappointed with Gunners superstar’s performance against Brighton
Arsenal legend Ian Wright has expressed his disappointment in Gunners' captain Martin Odegaard for his performance against Brighton & Hove Albion. Both sides shared the spoils in a 1-1 draw at the Emirates Stadium in the Premier League on August 31. While most of the headlines discussed Declan Rice's red card, Ian Wright focused on Odegaard's performance instead.
In the first half, Odegaard was tackled by Yankuba Minteh, and the Norwegian playmaker struggled after that. He seemed to fade out, going missing for most of his time on the pitch until he was substituted in the 74th minute.
Ian Wright took aim at his overall performance, saying during punditry for Premier League Productions (via TBR Football):
“The way they’ve started, the closing down of Arsenal has been very good. I think Martin Odegaard has been a little bit off with his play at the minute. But in respect to the way Arsenal have been playing, it’s exactly what I expected.”
Odegaard had very little impact in the game, creating only one chance. He was dispossessed three times, while also losing four duels. His passing was rather inaccurate, with only nine passes finding their target in over 70 minutes of play.
Ian Wright questions reaction from Arsenal fans in the stadium during Brighton game
It was all the hosts' match to win in the first half when Kai Havertz (38') opened the scoring with an impressive chip into the center of an empty net. The Gunners went into the half-time break with the lead, and they looked prepared to add another goal in the second half.
However, just four minutes in, Declan Rice was shown his second yellow card, which saw the Gunners go down to 10 men. Manager Mikel Arteta reacted by switching to a defensive game, although Brighton went on to equalize through Joao Pedro in the 58th minute.
The fans, who have often seen their team play on the front foot, especially at home, did not take kindly to sitting back and letting Brighton take charge. Ian Wright noticed this during his punditry, commenting (via Metro):
"With Arsenal fans you can hear in the stadium there’s a little bit of impatience in respect of attacking them. You’ve got to recognise there’s a point in the game where you realise we’ve got to get a point.
"They made some very good substitutions in Enciso and Adringa coming on they are dangerous players and Pedro already there causing problems. You’ve got to make sure you don’t lose the game and that’s why I in the end I thought the point was a very, very good one."
The fans will be hoping for a return to winning ways after the upcoming international break ends in mid-September. They will face arch-rivals Tottenham Hotspur away on September 15.