On his own, Martin Odegaard is an exceptionally good footballer. The same is obviously true for Bukayo Saka. Both players are undoubtedly among the best in the Premier League.
For Arsenal, however, the real beauty of having these two is that they are even better when they are together. As a couple, Odegaard and Saka are worth more than the sheer sum of their parts. Odegaard unlocks Saka’s huge offensive threat like no other teammate, while Saka provides a platform that allows Odegaard to thrive by drawing out opposing defenders.
These are two players who truly operate on the same wavelength, as they proved spectacularly in Saturday’s defeat of Nottingham Forest. It was the first home game they had both started since August, and both men were visibly relishing each other’s presence.
After Odegaard’s long absence due to an ankle injury, the victory over Forest reminded the league that Mikel Arteta’s right forwards – when fit and available – are one of the attacking weapons the most devastating of the division. Many of Arsenal’s moves went this way, through the feet of Odegaard and Saka, and Forest could do nothing to stop them.
In the 82 minutes they played together, Saka and Odegaard exchanged 36 passes. Two of them came within seconds in the first half, their delicate one-two allowing Saka to smash the ball into the top corner of the Forest net. Every time Odegaard received the ball, it seemed his first thought was to look for Saka.
“It’s chemistry,” Arteta said. “Sometimes you meet someone and you immediately make eye contact and something just flows. With these two, it happens off the field and on the field.
It would be inaccurate to say that Saka struggled during Odegaard’s absence. In October, he scored in three consecutive games. But it is true that Arsenal were far more dominant against Forest, and far more threatening on Saka’s flank, than they have been for some time.
This season, Saka has played five Premier League games with Odegaard and six without him. In all major offensive metrics, Saka was better and more dangerous when he had his captain by his side. With Odegaard in the team, Saka scores more goals, creates more goals, takes more shots and has more touches in the opponent’s box.
“When you put them together in the right spaces, close to each other, things flourish,” Arteta said. “With the others, we try to force it and it doesn’t work. With these two, we are very lucky to have them.
Over the past few seasons, Odegaard has had spells in matches when he seemed to have reached a higher level of footballing existence. Moments where he seems to be playing a different game from everyone else, where all his tricks, flicks and passes work to glorious effect. In an interview with Telegraph sport last year he described the state as being “in the zone.”
Odegaard certainly reached this “zone” in some stages on Saturday. He broke away from tackles, floated into dangerous positions and created all kinds of passing angles for his teammates. The 25-year-old completed the most dribbles (three), created the most chances (six) and played the most passes in the final third (35) of any player on the pitch.
A consequence of Odegaard and Saka’s excellence is that Arsenal’s attacking play is often biased towards their side of the pitch. Saka stays wide on this flank, while Odegaard is usually based next to him. Against Forest, 51 percent of Arsenal’s attacks fell on the right wing, compared to just 24 percent on the left.
In their seven league matches without Odegaard this season, 33 per cent of Arsenal’s attacks have been on the left flank, with 22 per cent in midfield. In the six matches against Odegaard, the percentage of attacks from the left side fell to 30 percent and that of central attacks increased to 25 percent. When Odegaard is there, the ball gravitates towards him.
Perhaps most encouragingly for Arteta, his two right-sided attackers were successful against Forest despite the absence of Ben White. The usual right-back, White has been a key part of the ‘chemistry’ on that flank, but is now unavailable due to a knee injury. Jurrien Timber is less accustomed to the movements of Odegaard and Saka but he learns quickly and was impressive again at the Emirates.
Over the next few weeks, a key part of Timber’s job will be simply putting the ball into the feet of Saka and Odegaard. From there, Arsenal can play and prosper. Their title hopes rest on the ability of these two players to continue to excel in each other’s company.