Arsenal captain Martin Ødegaard has urged his teammates to maintain their focus, standards and intensity as the Gunners prepare for a huge Premier League showdown against Manchester United later today at the Emirates Stadium, Softfootball reports.
Writing in his pre-match programme notes, shared via the club’s official X handle, Ødegaard reflected honestly on last weekend’s goalless draw away at Nottingham Forest — a result that felt frustrating at the time but still yielded a small advantage in the title race.
The Norwegian midfielder stressed the importance of consistency in a league where fine margins often decide outcome. He said:
Our last league game was away to Nottingham Forest last Saturday, and that turned out to be a frustrating afternoon for us. We weren’t at our best on the day, and of course we wanted to take advantage of the other results. We gave everything for the win, but it wasn’t to be. I think we created enough to score the goal we needed, while also not giving them anything at all at the other end, but we know we could have done a lot better there.
On those occasions, you need to be able to do enough to squeeze the win from your performance, and we can improve on that. So it’s frustrating we didn’t take the three points, but at the same time we take the point and move on. Looking at that weekend overall, we gained a point on the teams around us, so that’s the positive side.
If you look at the results in the Premier League over the past few weeks, it’s a great example of what we say a lot – anyone can take points from anyone in this league. It’s why you can’t afford to let your standards drop for a single moment. Every game is a huge challenge, a big test, where you need to be right at your best. Teams will drop points, we know that, but really that doesn’t affect how we approach games ourselves. We are in a strong position, so let’s keep it going.
Arsenal head into the United fixture sitting top of the Premier League table, four points clear of Manchester City, who secured a 2-0 win over Wolves yesterday. With the season entering a decisive phase, the Gunners know that maintaining momentum is crucial.
Victory later today would see Mikel Arteta’s side move seven points clear at the summit and further strengthen their credentials in the title race, as they continue their pursuit of a first Premier League crown since the famous Invincibles season of 2003–04.
