Garth Crooks has lauded Martin Odegaard for the perfect cross which led to Arsenal’s fourth goal away at Bournemouth on Saturday as he included the Gunners captain in his team of the week.
Crooks was writing for BBC Sport following Mikel Arteta’s side’s emphatic victory on the south coast which saw the club make a real statement.
A lot has been said about Martin Odegaard since the 4-0 win at the Vitality Stadium. The Norwegian scored their first penalty of the afternoon. And he would have been integral in Kai Havertz getting to take the second spot-kick.
Garth Crooks lauds Martin Odegaard after Arsenal win
Speaking on ESPN, Steve Nicol suggested that Arsenal were unprofessional in letting Havertz take the penalty. And obviously, Odegaard would have had a massive say in the Germany international getting to take the ball.
But most fans appear to be lauding the 24-year-old. And Crooks was clearly impressed by his performance as he put the midfielder in his team of the week.
“This was more of a stroll down memory lane than a walk in the park for Arsenal away at Bournemouth,” he told BBC Sport.
“Two penalties given away needlessly by Bournemouth due to defenders making challenges recklessly in their own box. Why they felt the need to go to ground when the player on the ball still had so much to do remains a mystery to me.
“Odegaard put one of the penalties away before being brought down for another and then providing the perfect cross for Ben White to add Arsenal’s fourth goal.”
Gunners captain proving to be a brilliant leader
It was potentially a gamble to let Havertz take the penalty. In a worst case scenario, he would have missed and the Cherries would have been able to come back and take something from the contest.
But Havertz did step up. And in truth, Odegaard surely would not have allowed his teammate to take the penalty if he had any doubts over whether he was likely to score.
It was an example of outstanding leadership. The team spirit in this Arsenal side appears to be incredible, with the players clearly delighted for Havertz for getting that goal.
Odegaard usually leads by example by what he does when the ball is in play. Speaking on his YouTube channel, Rio Ferdinand described Odegaard as an artist.
But the £30 million man has also played a massive part in the team unity which has definitely played a key role in elevating Arteta’s side into the title picture.