Martin Odegaard sent a message to the Emirates Stadium crowd in the first half as Arsenal took on Aston Villa on Sunday.
Martin Odegaard has led by example for Arsenal all season.
The Norwegian playmaker is practically Mikel Arteta’s double on the pitch, as he works tirelessly week in, week out to lead and direct the press and tie the Gunners’ attacking moves together when they are on the ball.
It is for these reasons, his relentless work-rate and tactical intelligence, that Odegaard has been described as a perfect Arsenal captain.
In the first half against Aston Villa on Sunday, the former Real Madrid man was as influential as ever. He was mesmerising on the ball at times, drifting into space, turning away from opposition defenders with ease, and playing penetrative passes forward through the lines.
Martin Odegaard gestures to Arsenal fans during Aston Villa battle
As the North London club sought a breakthrough against Unai Emery’s Champions League-chasing side, Odegaard could be seen encouraging the Emirates Stadium crowd to raise the noise levels.
In the 25th minute of the match, as the Gunners prepared to take a corner, the 25-year-old was spotted by the Sky Sports broadcast cameras waving his arms to the supporters in the stands in an effort to gee them up.
Odegaard, like Arteta, will understand the power that the Arsenal fans have in their hands at this stage of the season. There is a huge amount of pressure on the players at this time to keep their good form going and maintain their pace in the Premier League title race.
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Why Arsenal and Mikel Arteta need the Emirates Stadium crowd
In these circumstances, it is all too easy for nerves to seep in. This can transmit from the fans to the players and vice versa. Therefore, especially when Arsenal are playing at home, it is vital that the crowd keep the energy, volume, and levels of support and encouragement dialled up.
Over the course of the run-in, there will be times when Arteta’s players need a boost from the stands. It seems that as Arsenal toiled against Aston Villa’s determined defensive unit, Odegaard sensed one of those moments in the offing.
Arteta called on the Arsenal fans to show their support passionately against Porto in a recent Champions League fixture. The supporters made themselves heard again against Bayern Munich in another European clash.
The Emirates Stadium faithful now need to raise their levels for Premier League encounters.