Softfootball understands that Arsenal captain Martin Ødegaard has once again shared his honest thoughts in his matchday captain’s notes, giving fans a small window into the dressing-room mood ahead of the clash with Brentford at the Emirates Stadium.
Arsenal revealed the Captain’s’s Notes in a post made via their official X account. It’s something he does before every home game, and this time he reflected on a strange but massive week for the team.
Arsenal Posted:
Talking about the 1-1 draw at Chelsea in the league, Ødegaard said it was a proper battle, one of those games where both sides came out flying from the start. There were duels everywhere, tackles, pressing, the whole thing.
After Chelsea went down to ten men, the squad felt they should have pushed on to win it; maybe they could’ve done a few things better, but sometimes you take the point and move on. Not winning was disappointing, he admitted, but the team had collected important results over the week, so there were still positives to pull from it.
He said:
It was a good battle and a really intense game on Sunday. In the end, we have to take the point and move on. Both teams started the game really aggressively, really strongly and there were lots of duels all over the pitch.
Obviously, after they got the red card, we felt like we should have gone on to get the win, and there are some areas where we feel like we could have done better, but in the end, it was a point from a tough battle.
One of those positives was Viktor’s return to the pitch and yet another big moment from Mikel, who Ødegaard praised heavily. He called Mikel unbelievable, highlighting his instinct in the box and his habit of popping up in dangerous areas like he has a sixth sense for goals.
Odegaard said:
There were some positives on Sunday, it was great to see Viktor back on the pitch, and Mikel got another goal for us. He has been unbelievable. He’s so dangerous in the box, he has that smell for goals.
He’s always in the right areas and he’s so good in there, so all credit to him.
Looking back on the Bayern win, the captain didn’t hide how huge it felt. Considering Bayern’s ridiculous consistency both in Germany and Europe this season, beating them the way Arsenal did was, in his words, “a big statement.”
He also celebrated Noni’s first goal for the club, explaining how the two had grown close during rehab. Ødegaard’s seen up close how hard Noni worked, calling him a top guy with loads of energy and a bright personality that genuinely lifts the squad.
As for tonight’s game against Brentford, he expects a tough one. Brentford are coming off a solid win and always bring physicality and discipline, so Arsenal will need to match that. Being back at home helps, though, and Ødegaard said he knows the fans will bring the noise under the lights.
He explained:
So this is another big game tonight and we’ll be ready again. We know what to expect from Brentford. They are a good team, a solid team who are coming off the back of a strong win at the weekend. They have quality and we know they will be up for it, and we expect another good battle.
The good thing is we’re back at home and I’m sure all our supporters will be right on it for a night game, and we need you all to be there for us. Let’s make it another big night at our home.
Finally, the captain spoke about how good it feels to be back playing again after a “weird” spell out injured. Getting minutes against Bayern and then more time against Chelsea helped him rediscover the rhythm and different tempo that you just can’t feel from the sidelines. Now he’s focused on building fitness and momentum as Arsenal enter a massive stretch of the season.
