Martin Odegaard magical – Three decisions Mikel Arteta got correct for Arsenal against Olympiacos
Arsenal continued their winning form with a 2-0 win over Olympiacos in the Champions League, and Mikel Arteta got his team selection spot on.
Arsenal’s 2-1 win over Newcastle United was fraught with controversy and drama.
Viktor Gyokeres had a penalty overturned, while Gabriel Magalhaes should have been shown a red card. To make the game even more dramatic, two late goals saw Arsenal stage an unlikely late comeback win.
The victory put them within two points of Liverpool in the league table, although Matt Le Tessier believes Liverpool will win the league even though the Gunners have looked much improved over the last few weeks, whereas Arne Slot’s side are struggling for form.
Football Insider looks at three decisions Arteta got spot on as Arsenal secured a 2-0 win over Olympiacos.
Martin Odegaard back in the starting lineup
Eberechi Eze was superb in the win over Newcastle United and is deservedly ahead in the pecking order at the moment. Having been on the sidelines with a shoulder injury, Martin Odegaard should be worried about his place in the Arsenal team.
Now fit, Arteta made the right decision starting him against Olympiacos as the Norwegian is in serious need of game time and the match rhythm it brings. The 26-year-old was superb, creating three big chances in the first half alone.
Odegaard was playing like a man who knows he has to shine to start moving forward and deservedly won Man of the Match.
His overall stats for the game were brilliant, and Arteta will be over the moon now that he has two top-class midfield playmakers to rotate with so many games to juggle in all competitions.
| Minutes played | 90+ |
| Assists | 1 |
| Touches | 86 |
| Accurate passes | 54/65 (83%) |
| Key passes | 4 |
| Long balls (accurate) | 10 (7) |
| Ground duels (won) | 9 (5) |
| Dribble attempts (successful) | 1 (1) |
Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Martinelli given a chance to impress
Viktor Gyokeres seems undroppable at the moment as he gives Arsenal something they haven’t had for a long time: a genuine central goal threat.
Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Martinelli, however, are two players who are no longer guaranteed game time and would have been delighted at learning they were to start against Olympiacos.
| Stat | Leandro Trossard | Gabriel Martinelli |
| Minutes played | 73 | 73 |
| Goals | 0 | 1 |
| Touches | 48 | 37 |
| Accurate passes | 17/25 (68%) | 10/16 (63%) |
| Key passes | 1 | 1 |
| Dribble attempts (successful) | 3 (2) | 1 (1) |
| Possession lost | 14 | 16 |
| Ground duels (won) | 11 (6) | 5 (4) |
Both Trossard and Martinelli will need to increase their performance levels if they’re going to play as much as they would like, given the new strength in depth the Gunners have.
That said, no Arsenal player has more goals or assists this season than the Brazilian. He just needs to improve his decision-making in key areas during buildup.
Bukayo Saka is obviously an automatic starter when fit, and new signing Noni Madueke, despite being out with a knee injury, has impressed enough to be among Arteta’s three best attackers.
Bukayo Saka and Eberechi Eze double sub
In the 73rd minute, after giving Trossard and Martinelli a chance, Arteta called on Saka and Eze from the bench. Saka scored the second goal of the game in the 92nd minute to confirm the Gunners’ second Champions League win of the season.
In Saka’s case, it was a good move to give him some more game time after he was withdrawn against Newcastle after just 70 minutes. The 24-year-old has been battling with a niggling hamstring injury this season – the same problem that saw him miss 21 games for club and country last season.
Arteta and Arsenal are blessed with arguably the best squad depth in the Premier League, and the Spaniard has made really smart use of the extra numbers this season.
If the Gunners are going to win silverware this season, it will be because of their superior ability to cope with absenteeism compared to last season.