Odegaard: Our defenders are like beasts, they love to fight against opponents
6686 Sports, October 26th, Odegaard said in Arsenal’s match day column that the team’s defensive performance this season has been very good, thanks to the team’s strategic layout, hard work and communication.
About the defense
Odegaard: The whole season is very long. The team is currently doing a very good job on the defensive end. We want to maintain it while improving in all aspects that can be improved. I heard after the game that we had only allowed one shot on target in the last three games, which is really unbelievable. In 12 games this season, the team has kept 9 clean sheets and only conceded 3 goals.
I think this is due to many factors: strategic layout, hard work, communication, etc.
We have been playing together for a long time and everyone knows the principles of the team. Our defenders are beasts and they love to take on opposing attackers. But in front of them, the whole team will defend together, and the same goes for the midfielders. The defensive end is an aspect that the team must work hard on together, which will make it easier for us to maintain a compact formation.
At the centre-back position, you can see how much Gabriel and Saliba love to defend! They have been partners for a long time, they have a close relationship off the court and they know each other well. If one of them makes a mistake on the field, the other one will pick up the slack and they work well together. But to be honest, you can see that we have good synergy and partnership in every position. The team's principles and culture are clear, which helps a lot.
About Crystal Palace
Odegaard: We know that we need to show the best competitive state against Crystal Palace. They have performed very well recently. I think the results they have achieved reflect the charm of football, especially in the Premier League. Every season you see a team that surprises people. Crystal Palace won the FA Cup last season and deserved it. They also played well after the start of this season, but I have always thought they are a good team.
Crystal Palace has excellent technical players, but I think they have become a very stable team recently. Glasner has done a good job leading the team, making Crystal Palace a difficult team to deal with, because they will not give their opponents too many opportunities on the defensive end, but they can also launch attacks. They have strong players, especially Matta on the front line, so competing with them is very challenging. This will be another severe test.
The best way for us to maintain a good momentum is to focus on our own performance. As Saka said last week, if we hadn't beaten Newcastle, people were prepared to say our season was over and now, just a few weeks later, we're top of the table and all of a sudden people are saying we're going to win the title. Therefore, there are always various voices from the outside world, whether they are positive or negative voices, we must always focus on ourselves.
Everyone knows that the championship can be decided by 1 point, especially what we have experienced in the past. The Premier League is a very intense and difficult league and we know how important every game is, which is why every win is important.
