Ødegaard Urges Arsenal To Stay Focused After Man United Defeat Ahead Of Champions League Clash

‎Martin Ødegaard said Arsenal’s near-misses in the Premier League over the last three seasons are in the players’ thoughts, but only as motivation to go all the way this time.

‎As captain, he echoed Mikel Arteta’s message to stay in the moment and ignore external noise after Sunday’s 3-2 home defeat to Manchester United.

‎He did acknowledge that the club’s streak of three straight runner-up finishes factors into the situation, though.

‎“Obviously it is a factor,” Ødegaard said.

‎“But it can be a good factor as well. It gives you more fuel, more hunger, and more determination to get it done.

‎”I think we have experienced in all those seasons that it is a long run and a lot of things happen. Be together now. Look for the next game and bounce back.”

‎Arsenal return to Champions League action on Wednesday, hosting Kairat Almaty of Kazakhstan at the Emirates Stadium.

‎They are aiming to secure a perfect eight wins from eight matches in the group stage. The Gunners have already guaranteed their place in the last 16.

‎It is Saturday’s trip to Leeds in the league that is on the minds of the Arsenal fanbase after the United defeat meant their team had taken two points from three matches. Arsenal’s lead at the top over Manchester City and Aston Villa is down to four points and it has been easy to feel the anxiety, certainly among the supporters in the ground on Sunday.

‎“I didn’t feel that, to be honest,” Ødegaard said.

‎“I was so focused on the game. The important thing is to stay in the moment. We can’t listen to the expectations and everything around them.

‎”We weren’t good enough [against United] and we have to learn from that.”

‎Arsenal suffered their first home defeat and their third loss overall, all coming in the league. It marked the first time they had conceded three goals since the 4-3 win at Luton in December 2023.

‎The worry was how they lost their way after going 1-0 up in the 29th minute. Too many players were below their best.

‎“It was a frustrating one,” Ødegaard said. “We opened the game pretty well, scored a goal, and had some other good moments in and around the box. There were a few moments where we let them run too easily and probably played on their strengths too much. We know they are good on the counter and we let them do that a bit too easily at times.

‎“In the second half, the momentum changed a little bit. They won a lot of the duels, a lot of the 50-50 balls, and managed to create the momentum from there. That is definitely something we can improve.”