Odegaard is better than de Bruyne. He handles difficult situations with calm and grace, England experts agree

Leandro Trossard was the main star of Arsenal’s 3-0 win over Fulham on Sunday, but captain Martin Odegaard also gave a great performance. Among other things, he confirmed his importance to the club with his goal and is once again the centre of attention.

Arsenal arrived at Fulham’s ground on Sunday knowing that rival in the battle of Manchester managed Saturday’s match with Crystal Palace. The Gunners thus needed to score at full strength and their performance from the first minute looked accordingly.

Antonee Robinson’s own goal was still disallowed for offside, but in the 26th minute Arsenal were already 2-0 up thanks to Gabriel Magalhaes and Martinelli. Martin Odegaard added a third goal in the first half.

“Now Odegaard is the number one midfielder. Normally you would say de Bruyne, who is the best in the world for a long time. But something about him is not right, he’s not playing as much, on the contrary Odegaard is doing the things a midfielder should do,” Jamie Redknapp told Sky Sports .

As he has done all season, Odegaard orchestrated the team in the first half and drove for the quickest decision. In three of the last four rounds, Arsenal were worried about winning until the last minutes, which cost the players a lot of strength.

It was Odegaard’s strike on Sunday to make it 3: 0 that finally calmed down Mikel Arteta’s charges. The Norwegian midfielder neatly worked the ball in the whitewash, got free and with a sharp shot gave his former teammate Bernd Leno no chance.

“A lot of players and especially midfielders panic in situations like this because they are not used to it. Odegaard scored four or five goals like that and he did it again. He’s acaptain and a leader. When he doesn’t have the ball, he goes to press and gets it,” added former England international Redknapp.

Odegaard is being compared to Kevin de Bruyne in his season of life. The long-time Premier League top ten player has not excelled this season, yet thanks to Erling Haaland he has 13 assists to go with his four goals.

Odegaard is exactly the same in terms of points with a 10+7 record, but the numbers also show his different style of play. The Gunners’ captain often gets on the end of passes inside the penalty area, sending passes rather forward and benefiting the wingers.

“He’s a different type of player to de Bruyne, that’s why he doesn’t get as many assists. When Odegaard gets into difficult spaces, he still finds the right solution. Moreover, he solves the situation elegantly and calmly. It is a pleasure to watch him,” agreed with Redknapp former Dutch striker Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink.

Source: Sky Sports