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Arsenal star Martin Odegaard handed 5/10 rating for Norway display

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Martin Odegaard has come in for criticism following his latest international display for Norway with VG giving the Arsenal star a rating of just 5/10.

Stale Solbakken’s side remain right in the mix in their World Cup qualifying group after a 1-1 draw with The Netherlands in Oslo.

FIFA World Cup Qualifier"Norway v Netherlands"
Photo by ANP Sport via Getty Images

Erling Haaland broke the deadlock before Davy Klaassen scored an equaliser for the visitors.

It leaves Norway fourth in Group G. However, they are only one point behind early leaders Turkey.

Some may have expected the international break to be a welcome distraction for Odegaard following a difficult start to his second spell with the Gunners.

Norway v Netherlands - 2022 FIFA World Cup Qualifier
Photo by Andre Weening/BSR Agency/Getty Images

He was outstanding in his second debut, away at West Brom in the Carabao Cup. But a lot of the cautious optimism about Mikel Arteta’s side quickly evaporated days later in the clash with Manchester City.

Unfortunately, it appears that Odegaard’s display in Wednesday’s draw did not impress everyone.

According to Whoscored, he made 31 accurate passes. He also completed two successful dribbles.

However, Norwegian outlet VG rated his performance just 5/10. They claimed that he was ‘lost’ during the first-half. And they suggested that he was far from his best.

Odegaard display for Norway perhaps understandable given opposition

In fairness to Odegaard, The Netherlands boast one of the most impressive spines in world football.

In front of Virgil van Dijk and Stefan de Vrij was Frenkie de Jong.

So there are certainly going to be occasions when the player tasked with unlocking that defence is going to find the going difficult.