Martin Odegaard names the toughest defender he has ever faced in the Premier League
Today at 04:45 AM
Arsenal have been boosted by the return of their captain Martin Odegaard over their last two games.
And it has been an immediate response from Odegaard who has provided an assist in each of the games against Chelsea and Nottingham Forest.
Mikel Arteta’s side have been able to keep pace with the sides around them in the league but are still well adrift of the leaders.
| Position | Team | PlayedMP | WonW | DrawnD | LostL | ForGF | AgainstGA | DiffGD | PointsPts |
| 2 | Man CityManchester City | 12 | 7 | 2 | 3 | 22 | 17 | 5 | 23 |
| 3 | ChelseaChelsea | 12 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 23 | 14 | 9 | 22 |
| 4 | ArsenalArsenal | 12 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 21 | 12 | 9 | 22 |
| 5 | BrightonBrighton | 12 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 21 | 16 | 5 | 22 |
There is now a nine-point gap between the Gunners and Liverpool at the top of the league with just 12 games having been played.
And speaking to the media, Odegaard has admitted it is one of the current Liverpool players who he’s found most difficult to come up against.
Arsenal’s Martin Odegaard hails Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk as toughest opponent
Alan Shearer waxed lyrical about Odegaard following the victory over Forest on the weekend in north London.
However, the Norway international has not exactly found it straight forward against all of his opponents since making the move to north London.
Speaking to TNT Sports, Odegaard admitted he has found Virgil van Dijk to be his toughest-ever opponent.
Odegaard was still sidelined for Liverpool’s trip to the Emirates earlier this season where the two sides shared the points.
Van Dijk was able to get on the scoreline as the Reds secured themselves a 2-2 draw against the Gunners.
However, Arsenal target Alexander Isak has rated Van Dijk below William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes in a recent interview.
- READ MORE:Owen Hargreaves names the Arsenal player who was the 'star of the show' v Nottingham Forest
Martin Odegaard’s return has revitalised Arsenal
Suffering an ankle injury on international duty, Odegaard’s absence marked a huge loss for Arsenal early on in the season.
But he has shown, in the two games since his return, just how much the Gunners have missed him with two assists already registered.
Odegaard was hailed for his assist against Forest on the weekend as he provided Bukayo Saka with the opening goal of the game.
- 92 minutes played
- 1 assist
- 83 touches
- 90% pass accuracy
- 6 key passes
- 3/4 successful dribbles
Arteta will just be hoping Odegaard is able to avoid any injury issues over the festive period with Arsenal back in action again on Tuesday night in the Champions League.
