In this week’s edition of The Football Interview, Kelly Somers speaks to Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard. They speak about last season at Arsenal, his qualities as a captain and reflects on Norway's journey at this summer's World Cup. They look at how Arsenal have already started this season, and whether they feel a different kind of pressure this time around.
TIMECODES:
0’22 - Looking back on the last few months
0'50 - Lifting the Premier League trophy
2’35 - His role as captain
4'15 - Difficulties with injuries
9'20 - Reflecting on the World Cup
12’50 - Sharing experience with Max Dowman
13'45 - Narrative changing around Arsenal this season?
The Premier League champions are back in action following a three-week international break during which they suffered several injury setbacks.
Christos Tzolis will miss this afternoon’s match with a hamstring injury, while Kai Havertz is a doubt with the muscle strain he picked up playing for Germany.
If the former Chelsea star fails to recover in time, Arteta will have to decide whether or not to select the out of sorts Viktor Gyokeres, or makeshift No.9 Mikel Merino.
Gyokere’s has endured a difficult start to the new campaign but restored a measure of confidence with several impressive displays for Sweden during their Nations League fixtures.
Merino, too, was in fine form for Spain and although he is closer stylistically to Havertz, Arsenal legend David Seaman believes it is Gyokeres who should be given the nod up front.
Asked if he would play Merino ahead of Gyokeres, he told the Sports Breakfast: ‘No, I think you need an out-and-out striker for me. He’s proven with Sweden that he can score goals.
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Viktor Gyokeres has been in excellent form for Sweden (Picture: Getty)
‘He got, what, 20-odd goals last season in all competitions, and that’s what you want your striker to do.
‘He’s not had many opportunities this season because he’s been on the bench most of the time.
‘I think it’d only be fair and right if they do give him a chance, and that’s dependent on Havertz. I’m sure he’d be all right.
‘The thing is, though, when you see him play for Sweden, he scores goals. But Sweden play a different way to Arsenal, don’t they?’
Arteta, who served as Pep Guardiola’s assistant at the Etihad Stadium for three years, was speaking for the first time since his one-time employers were found by an independent commission to have breached more than 100 financial regulations.
City have launched an appeal – with current manager Enzo Maresca insisting the under-fire club’s success has not been tainted – and, during a tense news conference at Arsenal’s London Colney headquarters, Arteta called for the ‘process to be respected’.
Arteta, who largely refused to engage with questions surrounding the case, joined Arsenal from City in 2019. City have been accused of breaking the rules between 2009 and 2018.
Asked directly if his conscience was clear, Arteta replied: ‘Yes.’
It was put to Arteta that he was in a “unique” position, having worked as a senior figure at City.
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‘The process has been going for various years,’ he said. ‘That process is still not finished. So, it is very difficult to express how I feel, because it is not resolved.
‘When it is resolved I can talk with clarity and tell you exactly how I feel.’
Quizzed at to whether he was looking forward to a resolution, Arteta said: ‘We need to trust that the people in charge will resolve it in the timeframe that they believe is the best for everybody.’
Arteta was later probed as to whether the Premier League remains the best in the world despite City’s guilty verdict casting a huge shadow over the division. ‘One hundred per cent,’ he said.
Asked if the league had been ‘damaged’ by City’s verdict, Arteta reverted to his stock line. ‘There is a process that is not resolved,’ he said.
‘It is ongoing and we can have a much clearer opinion once it’s been resolved.’
Manchester City allegations timeline
November 2018: German newspaper Der Spiegel publish claims Manchester City have breached FFP rules
March 2019: UEFA launch investigation into the claims
May 2019: Manchester City launch an appeal against the investigation
November 2019: The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) rules the appeal as inadmissible
February 2020: Manchester City are handed a two-year ban from European competition and a €30m fine by UEFA
July 2020: The ban is overturned after the club appeal to CAS
April 2022: Der Spiegel report the Premier League has been investigating Manchester City for three years
February 2023: The Premier League charges the club with 115 breaches of its financial rules
September 2024: Start of a 10-week hearing between the Premier League and Manchester City
September 2026: Reports emerge that Manchester City have been found guilty on all but one of the 115 financial rules the club are accused of breaking
Arteta also elected against revealing if he had spoken to Guardiola since the crushing verdict was released a fortnight ago. ‘I prefer not to answer those questions,’ he said.
And whether he felt his memories of his period at the Etihad Stadium how now been ‘tainted’, Arteta said: ‘Again, I understand the question and where they are coming from. There is a lot of noise around it. It is an ongoing process that has not been resolved yet.’
Arsenal are bidding to retain the league and will view City, who have won all five matches so far, as their closest challengers.
‘I don’t know (if it will hand Arsenal an advantage),’ he said. ‘That’s something that’s not in our hands.
‘What we think about is us, about what we do and what we want to achieve. That’s it. The rest is something that we don’t control, we have never controlled it, and we don’t want to control it.’
The Red Devils have been dealing with injury concerns ahead of attempting to kick-start a stuttering opening to the season at home to winless Tottenham on Saturday.
Patrick Dorgu and Noussair Mazraoui picked up issues during an international break that began with Marcus Rashford, Kobbie Mainoo, Karl Darlow and Sesko withdrawing from their respective national teams.
The latter missed United’s last-gasp 1-1 draw at Fulham three weeks ago as a nagging shin issue flared up, with Carrick confirming the Slovenia striker will be out against Spurs and beyond.
‘It’s not the exact issue,’ Carrick said. ‘It’s a similar area, but it’s not the exact same thing again.
‘And we’re kind of still working through it a little bit of seeing how long the issue will be. We’re hoping that it’ll be soon, obviously, but at this moment it’s still not quite clear.’
Sesko left with a shin injury against Liverpool in May and missed all of United’s pre-season friendlies, but he managed to play a part in the first six games of the season, scoring twice.
Benjamin Sesko of Manchester United warms up (Picture: Getty)
Asked if United are hoping rest will work before looking at other solutions, Carrick said: ‘Yeah, there’s different things to look at.
‘I think he had recovered really well actually from the initial one, and there was a lot of time, and sometimes things get thrown up.
‘The body does certain things, and we’ve got to react to that and try and get him back as quick as we can.’
Sesko was the most expensive signing United made last year, while this summer’s costliest acquisition has yet to make his competitive debut.
Carlos Baleba made the £70million move from Brighton with an ankle issue, but Carrick says the midfielder is ‘improving’ having ‘trained a lot’ having been an unused substitute at Fulham.
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‘He’s certainly getting closer, Carlos,’ the United boss said. ‘It’s been great to have him out on the grass and to see him up close really.
‘He played a little bit in a training game that we had last week (against Lausanne-Sport), so that was good for him to get some minutes.
‘I think the other side of it a little bit, he has missed a lot, and he’s missed crucial time in terms of, you know, the end of pre-season.
‘There’s a little bit of patience there for him to get up to speed. That’s up to us to kind of pick that right time for him as well, but he offers us a lot.
‘I’ve said it before, the midfield that we’ve got we’re really happy with and the selections and the options that we have, and he definitely adds to that.’
