Premier League picks, predictions: How will Arsenal line up with out Martin Odegaard in opposition to Tottenham?

With the North London Derby on the horizon, Mikel Arteta was in usually obtuse kind when requested to deal with Martin Odegaard’s availability for Arsenal’s go to to Tottenham.

“We want some extra checks so let’s have a look at what occurs within the subsequent day or so,” Arteta stated of Odegaard, who limped out of Norway’s Nations League sport in opposition to Austria on Monday with an ankle harm. “Let’s have a look at what occurs, what the extent of the harm is and the way shortly we are able to get him again. He is tremendous constructive about the whole lot. We all know Martin – he desires to be there each single day however now we have to attend and see.

“He is prepared, there isn’t any query about that. He desires to be current each sport and clearly in an enormous sport like this one, however we have to make it possible for we all know to begin with how good he may be or not.

“Gamers with 48 hours to go are at all times obtainable, however let’s have a look at what occurs.”

If Norway’s staff physician is to be believed, nonetheless, there is no such thing as a actual probability of Odegaard being obtainable not just for the derby however two additional essential away matches within the seven days that observe, journeys to Atalanta within the Champions League (you’ll be able to catch all of the motion throughout Paramount+, CBS Sports Network, and CBS Sports Golazo Network) and Manchester Metropolis. That latter serves as a chance so as to add jet energy to Arsenal’s title cost. How way more favorable may their probabilities look with one of many Premier League’s greatest creators of their XI?

That Odegaard remains to be being assessed 4 days after he picked up the harm does recommend some ingredient of doubt over the three week minimum timeline that Ola Sand laid out, however that cuts each methods. Actually Arsenal should put together themselves for a significant spell and not using a participant who has missed solely three Premier League squads since his everlasting arrival in the summertime of 2021.

A well-known chorus of Arsenal’s two second positioned finishes has been that they’ve been achieved largely as a result of Mikel Arteta’s facet have averted any nice availability disaster. That’s greater than a bit of overstated — their transformative No.9 Gabriel Jesus has not been enjoying with full kind and health for many of the final season and a half — however what’s broadly true is that Arsenal have averted a sequence of hammer blows in the identical place. Jurrien Timber might need missed all of final season but when any membership has the complete again depth to manage it is this one. Type and health might need abandoned Gabriel Martinelli however Leandro Trossard was at his best.

Odegaard’s absence, notably from the north London derby, is altogether totally different. With Mikel Merino out for as much as six extra weeks and Declan Rice suspended, Arsenal appeared gentle on numbers in midfield anyway. Now they’re obliged to string collectively what they’ll from the restricted participant pool obtainable to them.

The instantly apparent reply is perhaps to interchange Odegaard with the opposite senior participant who has beforehand been the playmaking focus at a high facet in Kai Havertz, who ran the present for Bayer Leverkusen earlier than shifting to the Premier League. When Havertz arrived at Arsenal from Chelsea in the summertime of 2023 his imaginative and prescient and that of the membership was for him to play deeper in midfield. Circumstances change and the 25 12 months outdated is now firmly established because the Gunners’ first selection heart ahead. No marvel. He is not simply extra of a purpose menace on the high of the pitch, he truly delivers better inventive returns too.

Havertz shines brighter up entrance

Per 90 Premier League minutes since 2020-21 season

Gabriel Jesus’ return to coaching is probably the one nice headache the worldwide break has thrown up. Maybe the best resolution could be the simplest: push Havertz deeper and even when meaning getting a much less efficient model of him that may be offset if Jesus is something like his greatest self.

There are additional alternate options to redeploy from the frontline. If not Havertz, maybe Trossard could possibly be the one nominally taking Odegaard’s place. Pair the Belgian and German and such positional designations could also be of restricted worth. Within the early months of 2024, Trossard and Havertz created merry mayhem for opposition defenders as one thing akin to a pair of 10s (add Odegaard to that blend as they did so impressively in obliterating West Ham and you’ve got an nearly unmarkable triumvirate). Such an method may work fairly properly when Rice is accessible for choice after Sunday.

Within the meantime, the apparent method could be to carry Jorginho into the XI, maybe stationing him a bit of deeper alongside Thomas Partey. Arsenal may lose a few of their interconnectedness, however lining up with what would functionally be a again six and a entrance 4 may swimsuit an event Tottenham will certainly really feel compelled to assault. Bukayo Saka had nice pleasure on the counter throughout his final journey up the Seven Sisters Street, something that affords him extra alternatives like that might be tactical adjustment for Arsenal.

Even that’s not the restrict of Arsenal’s choices. If Arteta desires to duplicate Odegaard’s skill to slip a cross into the penalty space why not flip to Oleksandr Zinchenko? For the reason that latter arrived in 2022, solely the Norwegian completes extra passes into the field from exterior it than Zinchenko’s 1.9 per 90 Premier League minutes. A extra superior function is acquainted to certainly one of Arsenal’s many, many left backs, it’s a lot the identical as he performs for Ukraine. Equally Arteta has had his probabilities to strive him out in that spot and has reliably chosen to not.

Then there may be the wildcard possibility. The hope at Arsenal is that Ethan Nwaneri is someday in a position to play alongside and even rather than Odegaard. The 17 12 months outdated, the Premier League’s youngest ever participant, is very considered and the choice to permit each Emile Smith-Rowe and Fabio Vieira to depart, the latter on a season lengthy mortgage to Portugal, was a dedication to Nwaneri. His time is coming however may a full Premier League debut on the house of Arsenal’s best rivals be too quickly? Arteta 

“We’ve to adapt to that,” he stated. “By way of the season we will have some of these conditions. It occurred very early for the reason that second sport. It is the state of affairs now we have. We’ve to face it.

“The younger children have given us a variety of hope and a variety of proper causes to rely on them. If we have to we’ll do it, for certain.”

There are, then, nearly sufficient choices for Arteta to maintain Ange Postecoglu all over to Sunday afternoon. That’s simply what the Arsenal supervisor would need. One factor his Tottenham counterpart may be moderately certain of, nonetheless, is that his opponent won’t be the identical staff with out Odegaard as they’re with him. How may they be?

Scroll down for our predicted scoreline within the north London derby and each different certainly one of right this moment’s Premier League video games:

Premier League predictions

Saturday, September 14
Southampton 1, Manchester United 3
Brighton 2, Ipswich 0
Crystal Palace 1, Leicester Metropolis 0
Fulham 1, West Ham 1
Liverpool 2, Nottingham Forest 0
Manchester Metropolis 2, Brentford 1
Aston Villa 2, Everton 0
Bournemouth 1, Chelsea 1

Sunday, September 15
Tottenham 3, Arsenal 2
Wolves 0, Newcastle 0