Martin Ødegaard has acknowledged that Arsenal's three successive runners-up finishes in the Premier League serve as motivation for the current campaign. Speaking after Sunday's 3-2 home defeat to Manchester United, the captain echoed Mikel Arteta's call to stay focused on the present moment while admitting the near misses are a factor.
“Obviously it is a factor,” Ødegaard said. “But it can be a good factor as well. It gives you more fuel and more hunger and determination to get it done. We have experienced in all those seasons that it is a long run and a lot of things happen. Be together now. Look for the next game and bounce back.”
Arsenal face Kairat Almaty in the Champions League on Wednesday, aiming for a perfect eight wins in the league phase, having already secured progression to the last 16. However, attention quickly turns to Saturday's league trip to Leeds, following a run of two points from three matches after goalless draws with Liverpool and Nottingham Forest. The defeat to United reduced Arsenal's lead at the top to four points over Manchester City and Aston Villa.
Ødegaard dismissed any sense of anxiety among the players, saying: “I didn’t feel that. I was so focused on the game. The important thing is to stay in the moment. We can’t listen too much to the expectations and everything around it. We weren’t good enough [against United] and we have to learn from that.”
The defeat was Arsenal's first at home and third in the league this season, and the first time they had conceded three goals since December 2023. Ødegaard expressed frustration at how the team lost their way after taking a 1-0 lead in the 29th minute. “We opened the game pretty well, scored a goal and had some other good moments,” he said. “There were a few moments where we let them run too easily and probably play on their strengths too much. In the second half, the momentum changed. They won a lot of the duels, a lot of the 50-50 balls. That is definitely something we can improve.”
