“Many people said he should not return to the Arsenal team”


Arsenal legend Martin Keown has spoken about Martin Odegaard and hailed the Norwegian for proving many people wrong despite a 2-1 defeat against Aston Villa. On Saturday 6th December the two teams played in the Premier League at Villa Park.

Matty Cash broke the tie in the 36th minute with his hand Village the lead However, Leandro Trossard equalized in the 52nd minute to set up a tense finish. Emiliano Buendia proved to be the hero five minutes from stoppage time, scoring the winner to end the Gunners’ 18-match unbeaten run.

Despite his loss, Keown appointed Odegaard as their player of the match. The latter played the full 90 minutes, completing 57 passes from an attempted 64 (a match-high 89 percent accuracy). The 26-year-old also created three chances and landed all three shots on goal, according to FotMob.

Keown said TNT Sports (via METRO):

“I’m going for Martin Odegaard. He was out for a lot of years but he came in and controlled things in midfield today. He also had two or three really good efforts where he could have scored. A lot of people said he shouldn’t be back in the Arsenal team in Eze’s form but he proved them wrong.”

Martin Odegaard has struggled with fitness this season, missing 12 games due to knee and shoulder injuries. So far, he has provided two assists in 11 appearances in all competitions.

‘They look a bit vulnerable’ – David James makes Premier League title prediction after Arsenal lose to Aston Villa

Former Liverpool goalkeeper David James counts arsenal are still the favorites to win the Premier League title this season, despite looking vulnerable during their disappointing 2-1 defeat against Aston Villa.

While the Gunners have arguably been the best team in England this season, they have dropped points three times in their last five league games. They remain at the top of the table with 33 points from 15 games, two points above Manchester City.

After Manchester City’s 3-0 win over Sunderland yesterday, James said Astro Stadium (via METRO):

“The interesting thing about Man City is that they are capable of losing games on the spur of the moment. I don’t think they are the finished article by any means. Erling Haaland is the talisman for them, but if you can shut him up, you have a good chance of stopping Man City. What is encouraging for other clubs is that when Arsenal concede, they look a bit vulnerable.”

He added:

“Villa showed strength, skill and determination and if the other teams can do that, they could close the gap on Arsenal. But that doesn’t mean Arsenal aren’t still favourites.”

The Gunners face Club Brugge in the UEFA Champions League (December 10) before taking on Wolves in the league on December 13.