Ahead of Sunday’s Premier League blockbuster between Arsenal and Manchester City, Sports Mole explores Mikel Arteta’s options to solve the Martin Odegaard dilemma amid fears that the Gunners captain could miss out again.
Former friends and fierce Premier League title foes embrace on the Emirates touchline once again this weekend, as Mikel Arteta‘s Arsenal take on Pep Guardiola‘s Manchester City in Sunday’s main event.
A three-point chasm separates the two challengers in the top-flight rankings, and both enter the North London showdown on a high owing to opening Champions League victories over Athletic Bilbao and Kevin De Bruyne’s Napoli in midweek.
While City’s former captain lasted just 26 minutes at the Etihad due to Giovanni Di Lorenzo’s early red card, Arsenal skipper Martin Odegaard might not play one minute on Sunday, as the Norway international is still struggling with his second shoulder injury of the season.
Odegaard took a heavy fall in last weekend’s 3-0 win over Nottingham Forest and missed the win over Athletic as a result, and Arteta was customarily coy when asked about the playmaker in his pre-game press conference.
Odegaard has not hit the same heights he did in 2022-23 and 2023-24, but his absence still deprives Arsenal of one of their chief creative forces in a game where they will no doubt be crying for ingenuity and incisiveness throughout.
Arteta is yet to find the perfect formula to cope without the former Real Madrid talent, and here, Sports Mole explores Arsenal’s three chief options to replace Odegaard against Man City, if the Scandinavian is indeed ruled out.
Odegaard replacement option 1: Stick with Mikel Merino?
When Odegaard was only considered for a place on the bench at Anfield, Arteta sided with Mikel Merino to occupy the right-sided midfield role and did the same in midweek against Athletic.
Merino starting in the Odegaard slot allowed Martin Zubimendi to start in his favoured six role and Declan Rice to strut his stuff in the left eight, although the Englishman was not at the peak of his powers in midweek, and nor was Spain’s recent hat-trick hero.
The former Real Sociedad man is not a number 10 by any stretch of the imagination; he only created one chance against Athletic in midweek – registering 0.02 Expected Assists – and lost four of his six ground duels, committing three fouls.
On the back of his terrific treble for Spain, Arteta may feel that he has to fit Merino into his team somehow, but there is simply no defined position for the Spaniard when Rice is fully fit and a guarantee in the left eight slot.
It would not be entirely inaccurate to say that Merino is Arsenal’s second-choice striker right now with Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus absent, although he is still seen as the ‘safe’ Odegaard replacement option, one that adds physicality to the Arsenal midfield while diminishing creativity.
Odegaard replacement option 2: Time to trust Ethan Nwaneri?
Merino’s starts against Liverpool and Athletic came at the detriment of Ethan Nwaneri, who is the most similar in profile to Odegaard and one that should be seen as the Norwegian’s designated backup.
The Premier League’s youngest-ever player initially shone on the right-hand side as Bukayo Saka’s deputy, but Arsenal view him as a central playmaker moving forward, and Arteta has had no problem throwing him on in-game to replace Odegaard.
Nwaneri caught the eye in the victory over Forest during his 70 minutes or so on the pitch, while also seamlessly slotting into the midfield against Leeds United after Odegaard’s first shoulder injury, which makes Arteta’s reluctance to use him from the off all the more confusing from a Gooner point of view.
The Gunners boss does instruct Odegaard – or whoever starts in the captain’s place – to lead the press in Arsenal’s 4-4-2 shape off the ball, which he may feel is a responsibility too heavy for an 18-year-old to shoulder, especially in big games away at Anfield and Athletic.
However, Nwaneri was responsible for Arsenal’s fabulous fifth goal in last season’s 5-1 win over Man City, and the teenager’s quick feet, low centre of gravity and eye for a killer strike could be crucial to picking the Sky Blues’ lock.
Odegaard replacement option 3: A change in role for Eberechi Eze?
Arteta’s enviable squad depth means that the Spaniard has already had the best kind of selection dilemmas to solve this season, and the Gunners boss now has another following two super-sub displays in midweek.
Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard have given their manager plenty of food for thought after both scoring and assisting off the bench in San Mames, making Champions League history for Arsenal in the process as they sent Arteta the loudest and clearest selection message.
The £67.5m arrival of Eberechi Eze bumped Trossard and Martinelli down the pecking order, but while the ex-Crystal Palace man did claim an assist for Viktor Gyokeres against Forest, his impact against Athletic was limited.
Instead, Arsenal focused their attacks down the right-hand side and ought to do so again here, as Noni Madueke is proving too hot for any full-back to handle right now and could run City ragged this weekend, especially if Rayan Ait-Nouri misses out through injury again.
Madueke is yet to score or assist for Arsenal, though, so it may benefit the former Chelsea man to have a finisher such as Trossard or Martinelli waiting at the back stick rather than Eze, whose creative talents could be utilised in the Odegaard role instead.
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