Well, at least we’ll all have those magical two nights against Real Madrid, eh? For Arsenal, it just wasn’t meant to be this season.
While some may argue that the Gunners have taken two steps back, ultimately losing the league title to Liverpool, currently 17 points behind where they were at this stage in 2023/24, progress has been made.
If anything, this campaign has shown why Mikel Arteta is such a special coach. With several key players out injured for large parts of the term, he took Arsenal to the semi-finals of the Champions League. That deserves shouting about.
Some individual magic from Declan Rice may have been relied upon in the semi-finals but they truly dominated the best team in the competition’s history; Real Madrid.
PSG, however? They were a bridge too far. It wasn’t as if Arsenal played poorly though. They will be left to bemoan Gianluigi Donnarumma’s heroics as the titanic Italian put in two Ballon d’Or-worthy performances across the tie.
There were those saves from Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard last week in the first leg and then there were those remarkable stops to deny Martin Odegaard early on in Paris on Wednesday and a sprawling save to keep out Bukayo Saka’s curling effort in the second half.
As Odegaard said after the game, it was a clash decided in both boxes. The simple fact was that PSG were better in those areas.
That said, Arsenal need to start seeing more from their captain if they are to revive their fortunes next season.
What's going wrong for Martin Odegaard
Ever since Odegaard was a 15-year-old coming through in Norway at Stromsgodset, handed a senior debut at a ridiculously young age, it’s clear how much talent he possesses.
Things didn’t work out at Madrid for the creative playmaker but in north London he has found a home for himself. Up until now, he has thrived.
In 2022/23, Odegaard scored as many as 15 goals, all of which came in the Premier League. No midfielder scored more goals than he in the league that year. In 2023/24, he wasn’t quite as prolific but he still scored eight in the league and 11 in all competitions.
This term, despite providing 11 assists, the Norway international has only found the net on five occasions. Given Arsenal’s general lack of firepower and crucially, a lack of a fit centre-forward, that has proven decisive.
So, what’s gone wrong? Well, ever since he sustained an ankle injury in the embryonic stages of this season, he’s not looked quite right. It took the midfielder a few months to recover and arguably, he’s still feeling the impacts of that now.
He’s never been a vicious ball striker, but he’s lacking so much power, not just in his shooting but his overall play. He looks lightweight, scared to take on a player, worried to challenge for the ball. His passing range is also off. Compared to last season, Odegaard is having 0.40 fewer shots per 90 minutes, making 0.56 fewer key passes per 90 and producing 1.56 fewer shot-creating actions per 90.
Shot-creating actions are pieces of play that lead to a shot. These include moments such as a pass, take-on or foul being drawn.
The first two metrics aren’t disastrous drop-offs, but it does indicate that the skipper is playing at a poorer level than he is used to.
So, what’s the solution? Well, they have a ready-made one in Ethan Nwaneri. They could also go out into the transfer market to replace him but that seems unlikely.
Perhaps there’s another option lying in wait.
Arsenal's unlikely Odegaard replacement
The summer window of 2022/23 was a memorable one for Arsenal. Arteta wanted to surround himself with winners and familiar faces, notably bringing in Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko from Manchester City.
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Jesus’ instant impact was staggering, scoring five times in his first eight Premier League outings. Sadly, since then, it hasn’t quite happened for him in an Arsenal shirt, notably ruled out for a lengthy period of time with an ACL injury in January.
It’s not really happened for the two other major signings for that window, either. Zinchenko could reportedly leave in the summer while Fabio Vieira is currently out on loan at Porto.
Vieira has flattered to deceive during his time at the Emirates. A midfielder cut from a similar cloth as Odegaard, lean yet creative, we certainly haven’t seen the best of him in red and white.
He did register six assists in his debut campaign following that £34m move but scored just twice, including a stunning effort against Brentford. Last term wasn’t much better either, scoring once and laying on four assists. He only played in 11 league games.
So, it was hardly a surprise that with Nwaneri coming through the ranks, he was sent out on loan.
Vieira headed back to his boyhood club Porto where, to give him his credit, we have seen an improvement. While the Portuguese midfielder’s numbers still aren’t mindblowing, the 24-year-old has found the net on five occasions and provided the same number of assists in 37 outings.
During a run of fixtures back in March, Vieira managed to score three goals and provide one assist across four outings, lending credence to Arsenal content creator Harvey Diamonds’ claim that he’d “hit some incredible form.”
While it’s unlikely that the young playmaker finds a route back into the Arsenal team, he’s got plenty of eye-catching qualities that would make him a strong replacement for Odegaard.
Goals
2
4
Assists
7
4
Big chances created
12
10
Crosses *
0.6
1.6
Successful long balls *
1.3
2.1
Key passes *
2.1
1.6
Successful dribbles *
0.9
0.4
Ground duels won *
2.4
3.5
Times fouled *
0.9
1.6
Ironically celebrated as a player “who’s made for Champions League nights” by data analyst Ben Mattinson, Vieira brings a certain level of passing that, truth be told, few on the continent possess. Why do you think Arsenal signed him in the first place?
Compared to players in the 14 leagues most similar to the Portuguese top-flight, he ranks in the top 6% of midfielders for assists per 90 minutes across the last year, the best 12% for key passes and the top 3% for passes into the penalty area.
While he is yet to show much in the Premier League, he’s still young enough to improve and he possesses the qualities to unlock doors. That’s something Arsenal have really lacked at times across 2024/25.
Perhaps a Vieira revival could be on the cards?
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