Stale Solbakken, the manager of Norway, says that Mikel Arteta probably won’t be “giving him any praise” since Martin Odegaard got hurt while on foreign duty.
The playmaker for Arsenal hurt his foot just days before the North London game. He missed his team’s Nations League match against Austria. In the 67th minute, Odegaard went down and had to be helped off the pitch. He looked like he was in a lot of pain.
Odegaard is expected to miss Sunday’s game because of how bad his injury was at first, unless he gets better quickly. Arteta had to watch as his No. 10 went down, which must have made him look sad. Once a player leaves to play for their country, managers always worry about their well-being, and the Norway manager said something subtle about Arteta’s feelings.
“It looked bad in the locker room too,” he said. He wasn’t brave enough to go on. It’s not certain that Arteta will call me tonight and tell me how great I am.
At the same time, a doctor from Norway named Ola Sand gave a report. “He got a small ankle sprain,” he told TV2. We’ll see. Perhaps an ultrasound will help us see it. Tomorrow there will be an MRI if we’re not sure.
The Gunners already know they won’t have Mikel Merino, who they signed in the summer but hasn’t played for the Premier League club yet since leaving Real Sociedad.
The winner of Euro 2024 won’t be ready for selection for a few more weeks because Arteta is having trouble in the middle of the pitch and Declan Rice is suspended. In the draw with Brighton, the England player got a red card after being given a second yellow card, which caused a lot of controversy. Arteta said he was “amazed” by the decision, which made him angry.
If Arsenal isn’t able to get Odegaard, they may need to make some major changes because the former Real Madrid player is always there and is expected to bring new ideas to the team. For any open spot, Raheem Sterling or Leandro Trossard could be called upon, since Fabio Viera, who was supposed to fill it, was let go on loan.
After a less-than-ideal international break, Arsenal and Arteta will be put to the test when they go to Tottenham for a short trip. Riccardo Calafiori, an Italian defender, had to leave the game on Friday because of an injury he got in the win over France. His boss said it wasn’t as bad as they first thought.
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