As part of what is undoubtedly a fatal blow to the early-season aspirations. Arsenal has been struck with a fatal injury prognosis of captain and talismanic playmaker, Martin Odegaard. The Norwegian maestro has been sidelined due to a knee injury. This will ruin and undermine Mikel Arteta tactical blueprint at a crucial point.
The Incident and Initial Diagnosis
The alarming case came in attention in the 2-0 Arsenal over West Ham United game in the premier league. Odegaard went off after just 30 minutes in an ungrateful knee to knee bang with Crysencio Summerville of West Ham. The team won the game. However, the scene of their captain walking out of the Emirates Stadium with a protective brace generated a long shadow on the outcome.
The first communication of the club verified the injury. They said that Odegaard injured himself in the medial collateral ligament (MCL) of his left knee. This professional diagnosis saw a quick withdrawal of the Norwegian national team team in the impending international matches. Although the statement issued by Arsenal normally has the cautiousness and sought to bring back the player as early as possible. However, the external evaluation gave a much grim picture.
A Grim Prognosis from Medical Experts
A scary diagnosis of one of the most prominent sports doctors enlightened the real extent of the case. The story was studied by Lars Engebretsen, who was a doctor of the Norwegian national team. He provided a sobering evaluation. He suggested that based on the mechanism of the injury, Odegaard could be facing an absence of six to eight weeks.
“I don’t have information about exactly what the MRI showed but based on the injury video. It could be a lateral ligament injury. If it is such an injury, Odegaard can be out for six to eight weeks. But it depends on the size,” Engebretsen told Scandinavian publication ‘Dagbladet’. He added the alarming caveat that if the injury is more complex and involves cruciate ligaments, “the period on the sidelines could be longer.”
Consequences and Leadership Void
The absence of Odegaard, which could take two months, is a landmark to Mikel Arteta. The captain is the indisputable creative blood-pump of the team. His main channel was through the Arsenal attacking play. His exceptional skill of getting pockets of space, setting pace, and creating defence-changing passes is almost unreplaceable in the existing team.
The injury is another frustrating development to the season of the 25-year-old. He is otherwise dealing with a nagging shoulder problem. His replacement of West Ham at the early stage of the season created an undesired record in the history of the Premier League. He became the first player whose removal came off before half-time in three successive games. This is a worrying trend of minor physical injuries.
Navigating the Crisis: Arteta’s Potential Solutions
Arsenal and Arteta is struck to fill the giant creative gap in the absence of Odegaard. It provides a similar profile with Fabio Vieira. He took over when he had West Ham and was not as consistent and defensively disciplined as the captain. A more structural sound solution might be to either deploy Leandro Trossard as an advanced midfielder or even moving the Declan Rice up the field but this would be negatively affecting the midfield foundation.
The fact that Odegaard may be missing two months of his services is an uphill task to Mikel Arteta. The captain is struck in the unquestioned artistic pulse of the team and the major channel of flow of attacking plays of Arsenal. His special talent of finding some gaps in the positions, setting the rhythm, and giving passes that split the defence is almost impossible to replace in the present team.
As featured on GoonerNews.com
