‘Not the same player he was’… Tim Sherwood reckons £30m Arsenal player has gone backwards now

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We’re almost halfway through this Premier League season, and Arsenal are well within touching distance of top spot.

The Gunners have been picking up results along the way, but it has to be said that there is an element of their play at the moment that is unconvincing.

Indeed, Mikel Arteta’s side aren’t as fluid as they once were in the attack, and goals have somewhat dried up for their star players.

Speaking on Premier League Productions, Tim Sherwood has been discussing Arsenal’s attack, and he’s pointed out that some of their players haven’t been as good as of late, including Martin Odegaard.

Odegaard hasn’t been as good

Sherwood shared his verdict on the £30m man and some of his teammates.

“I just think they’re not doing bad are they? They’re more stubborn with Declan Rice, but Martinelli and Saka haven’t hit the heights of last season, Jesus has been interrupted by injuries and Odegaard is not the same player he was last season, but they’re in a fantastic position, they will come good and they will find a rhythm,” Sherwood said.

Difficult

Odegaard hasn’t been as good as he was last season, and there’s no shame in that.

The Norwegian was one of the very best players in the Premier League last year, and a slight backwards step from that point was almost always going to be inevitable.

When you’re a playmaker of this style, teams start to plan to play against you, and that’s exactly what’s happened with Odegaard this season.

Opposition teams are now giving the midfielder less time and less space to do his business, and it’s hard for Odegaard to play with the same freedom he did last term.

He’s struggled to make the same impact he did last season, and Mikel Arteta may now need to find a fresh way to unlock a defence without necessarily relying on Odegaard’s individual brilliance.