Staggering Statistic Highlights Arsenal Star's Fall From Grace This Season | OneFootball

Arsenal were eliminated from the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday night losing 3-1 on aggregate to Paris Saint-Germain in the semifinals. Pressure continues to mount on the players, manager and club to lift big trophies, but their captain continues to garner criticism from all angles.

Amid Arsenal's struggles all season with scoring goals, the loss in Paris continued to highlight Martin Ødegaard's drop in form this season. The Norwegian captain, in 38 appearances this season across Europe and the Premier League has 13 goal contributions (five goals, eight assists). He missed time in the beginning of the season recovering from an ankle injury, but his confidence continues to wane on the pitch. For more context: Arsenal don't have a single player in the Premier League with double-digit goals. Kai Havertz is the closest with nine as he's recovering from a hamstring injury.

For comparison, Ødegaard had 18 goal contributions in 35 league games last season. He had three goal involvements in the Champions League with two fewer games played last season given Arsenal were bounced a round prior. This is a player who was in the conversation for Premier League Player of the Season last year that's had a major drop in form.

One statistic from their loss in Paris stands out the most and is the story of the season for Ødegaard.

Staggering Statistic Highlights Arsenal Star's Fall From Grace This Season

Ødegaard and Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya created the same amount of chances in the second leg: one. The chief creator and goalkeeper, albeit a modern player, creating the same amount of chances in a European knockout game is unacceptable. Even in the first leg at home he was not good enough on the ball and often out-muscled by PSG's midfield and defense.

Simply not good enough for a player wearing the armband. The simplest explanation is his confidence is down, but he's also suffering from Arsenal's tactical and player deficiencies. Mikel Arteta deploys his captain as the right-sided midfielder in a three-player system. He plays his best when he's around the edge of the box in a triangle with Bukayo Saka and the right back. The last two seasons, it's been Ben White in that defender position who has a habit of overlapping more to stretch defenders.

This season, coupled with Arsenal's injuries at striker, teams shut down that side by pressuring the Norwegian on the ball and by double-teaming Saka. Timber, more technically gifted on the ball than White, is asked to play more with the ball at his feet. He has overlapped at times, but the ball is too often recycled back to Ødegaard on the right corner of the box. He's lacked the confidence to play balls through, or the quality to find players at the back post. Far too often does Ødegaard take a couple of touches, turn on the ball, refuse to shoot and cycle it back to the left side which doesn't have as potent of an attack.

And, that's with Saka returning in recent weeks from a hamstring injury.

Without Saka, the impotence was on Ødegaard to score and create goals. Declan Rice ended up being the one who stepped up in those moments. Ødegaard needs the offseason badly to decompress, but perhaps Arteta explores tactical changes through the transfer window this summer.