Odegaard opens up on his Arsenal season: ‘I know I haven’t been good enough’ | OneFootball

Martin Odegaard says he does not think he has been good enough for Arsenal this season.

The midfielder missed almost two months of the campaign with an ankle injury and has failed to match his usual goalscoring exploits, scoring just twice in the Premier League in 19 games.

He managed 15 league goals in the 2022-23 league season and eight last term.

But having netted twice in Arsenal’s 7-1 Champions League demolition of PSV Eindhoven, Odegaard is hoping it can kickstart a run of goals for him.

“I’m very used to people speaking about me and judging my performances,” he said when asked about the criticism of his statistics this season after the game against PSV.

“But I think I’m even more hard on myself. I know I haven’t been good enough, especially in front of goal this season.

“I’m working hard every day to improve it and I know I have the ability and the talent to do it.

“Today was good and hopefully I can do more between now and the end of the season.

“Hopefully, as the same as last year, we can hit our top form towards the end and we’ll see where that takes us in the league and in the Champions League.”

Odegaard also says it will be crucial to share the goals around the team with four first-team attackers in Bukayo Saka, Kai Havertz, Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Jesus currently out with injury.

“I think that’s key with the players we have out,” he said.

“I think the rest of us have to step up even more and I think it’s a good thing that we share the goals. Hopefully we can keep doing that.”

Arsenal take on Manchester United on Sunday and Odegaard says his side are still wary of the threat posed by them despite their struggles this season.

“They’re not where they want to be in the table obviously,” he said.

“Obviously it’s a big club that’s been struggling a little bit but as I said before, we know the quality they have when they are really on it and they have a lot of good individual players that we have to be ready for.

“But we go there to win and we are Arsenal, we’re not scared. We go there to win.”