Paul Scholes expects Arsenal to go to another level once injured Martin Odegaard returns and says the absent midfielder ‘changes the way they play football’.
While Arsenal have only lost once in the Premier League this season and look set for a third successive title tilt, Scholes has been slightly underwhelmed by their performances.
However, the Manchester United legend believes that is largely due to the absence of Odegaard, who has not featured since the end of August after picking up an injury while on international duty.
Odegaard is believed to be closing in on a return from the treatment room and Scholes says he will have a huge impact on the team, who are bidding to win the Premier League for the first time since 2004.
Arsenal drew 2-2 with title rivals Liverpool last time out and that result – plus the shock defeat to Bournemouth a week earlier – has left the Gunners five points behind defending champions Manchester City.
‘Arsenal miss Martin Odegaard, they miss him massively,’ Scholes said on The Overlap with Sky Bet. ‘He changes the way they play football, and that one player can change a team.
‘I said it earlier in the season that I’d been disappointed with Arsenal, but I think it’s all down to Odegaard not playing in the team – the rest of it looks alright. They’ve had injuries and suspensions but the team looks alright.’
Speaking before Sunday’s intriguing 2-2 draw at the Emirates Stadium, Scholes said he viewed Liverpool as Man City’s biggest rivals for the title this season ahead of Arsenal.
The Emirates stalemate has not changed his stance, though Scholes admits he ‘wasn’t convinced’ by either team.
‘It was a game of two halves – Arsenal were good in the first half and Liverpool came out a lot better in the second,’ he added.
‘I wanted it to be a game that showed me that someone could beat Manchester City and give them a right run to win the league, and I wasn’t convinced by either.
‘Both teams will get better. I still think Liverpool are the team out of those two teams that could get the closest to Man City.’
Scholes believes Arsenal need to improve their mentality in ‘the big games’ to make the next step and end their long wait for a Premier League trophy.
‘Arsenal have got to do better in the big games,’ the 11-time Premier League winner said. ‘At some point, they’ve got to beat Liverpool.
‘If you want to go and win the league, you need to beat your big rivals – they’re big points and big games.
‘I keep going back to that game last year at Manchester City where Arsenal had a great chance at winning the league, City had some players missing, and they were so happy with a draw. That’s a mentality that needs to change.
‘I know he had issues with players suspended and inured on Sunday, so he [Mikel Arteta] probably thought it was a fair result but at some point, you’ve got to have the mentality to beat these teams.
‘You can win the league without beating the teams around you, but we always felt that going to Liverpool in March, if you won that game, it was massive – going to Chelsea and Arsenal winning games it was so big.
‘I don’t think Arsenal have proved that they can do that, but I think Liverpool can. There is no proof of that yet against this brilliant City team, but out of the two teams, Liverpool are the ones more capable of doing it than Arsenal.’
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