Martin Odegaard sends defiant message to Man City following Arsenal’s title hopes hit
Martin Odegaard, the captain of Arsenal, has sent a message of defiance to Manchester City, despite their lead over the title rivals being reduced again this weekend.
After a 2-2 draw at Anfield and a 2-2 draw against West Ham, Arsenal’s lead has dwindled from six points to four.
However, City still have one game in hand over Arsenal, and the two teams are set to play each other on April 26 at the Etihad.
Although Manchester City appears to be in top form after their 3-1 victory over Leicester City on Saturday, with Erling Haaland scoring twice, Arsenal still has control of the title destiny if they avoid losing in Manchester.
Rather than dwell on the negatives at the London Stadium, Odegaard instead stressed that it is still Arsenal in control: “We have to remember we are still top of the league with everything in our own hands,” he told Football London . “The same mindset, same mentality to make sure we win the next one.”
He did however, admit his side had again paid the price for wasting a dominant start: “A lot of the same things to last week, started well but then we stopped, allowed them to play on their qualities,” he added. “We gave them the game they wanted, we gave them hope, and that’s on us. We have to look forward now.”
Manchester City will be occupied with FA Cup next weekend, which presents a significant chance for Odegaard and his teammates to increase their lead as they host Southampton, who are currently at the bottom of the table, on Friday night.
However, if they fail to secure a victory, they will need to win against the champions on their turf to avoid losing their lead.
The mounting pressure is undeniable, with Arsenal’s recent draw at Anfield following the same pattern as their previous stumble at the London Stadium. It’s worth noting that Arsenal’s last top-flight title win occurred in the 2003/04 season when they went undefeated under the leadership of Arsene Wenger.
As the team faces their final seven games, manager Mikel Arteta has urged his players to display more precision and efficiency when in winning positions.
“We need that ruthless mindset in those moments to go and kill a team,” he told Sky Sports afterwards. “When the game is there for the killing you have to do it. We dominated the game, dominated the pitch and scored two beautiful goals.
“After that we made a huge mistake to stop playing with the same purpose to score the third and fourth one. We were just thinking we could play around them and maintain the result and just looked too easy. At that moment we gave them hope. Credit to West Ham they took it.”
Martin Odegaard sends defiant message to Man City following Arsenal’s title hopes hit
