"Not the same player as he was last season" - Emmanuel Petit hits out at 'sloppy' Arsenal star after 2-1 Wolves win
Former Arsenal star Emmanuel Petit reckons Martin Odegaard isn't the same player he was last season following the Gunners' 2-1 win against Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Mikel Arteta and Co. made a dominant start to their Premier League home clash against Wolves on Saturday, December 2. Bukayo Saka broke the deadlock in the sixth minute before Martin Odegaard brilliantly found the bottom-right corner from distance seven minutes later to double his side's advantage.
Despite getting on the scoresheet, Petit believes Odegaard hasn't been operating at the highest level this season. He told Lord Ping (via METRO):
"My main worry is players burning out by not getting enough rest because that has cost Arsenal over the last couple of seasons; they’ve lost some really important players to injury. I think the same thing has happened a little bit this season. Odegaard is not the same player as he was last season at the moment."
He added:
"He looks a bit sloppy in everything that he is doing, and he looks tired mentally and physically. It’s not easy to play every three days and to also play for your country. I’m very worried about Saka [too]."
Odegaard has made a decent start to the current campaign, netting seven goals and providing two assists in 18 appearances across all competitions. However, he has suffered with a hip injury this season, hindering his progress.
The 24-year-old performed superbly last season for the Gunners, scoring 15 goals and registering eight assists in 45 appearances across all competitions, helping Arsenal challenge for the league title.
How did Arsenal's Martin Odegaard fare against Wolves?
Emmanuel Petit gave a harsh verdict on Arsenal skipper Martin Odegaard, describing his game against Wolves as sloppy. Let's take a look at the stats to see if his comments were justified or not.
Odegaard received a rating of 8.6 following the Gunners' 2-1 win against Wolves, the highest of any player on the pitch (as per FotMob). The Norweigan scored one goal, completed 78 out of his 88 passes with an accuracy of 89%, and created six big chances.
In addition, Odegaard wasn't dispossessed even once and completed both of his two accurate long balls. The only negatives of his night were that he lost four duels and was dribbled past twice.
The 24-year-old will be eager to bounce back in Arsenal's next fixture against Luton Town on Tuesday, December 5.