Just a few months ago, Martin Odegaard was praising the mentality and the atmosphere at the club, but his recent comments highlight the potential downfall at Arsenal.
The Gunners have lost in back-to-back matches for the first time since August, which has seen the club slump back to seventh place, after an impressive run of form.
The Norwegian had been out of form recently, but he has been the bright spark in the last two defeats.
Speaking about the dressing room atmosphere at Real Madrid to Norwegian outlet TV2 in October ( via AS ) , Odegaard said: “It is not easy to integrate into core of the locker room.”
However, when asked about Arsenal he said: "I think it's like that in the bigger clubs. Everything becomes a little more dispersed. I'm very happy where I am now at Arsenal, which has a very nice dressing room."
But, Odegaard put Arsenal’s recent defeat at Everton down to poor mentality. Asked if it is a mindset issue with Arsenal when they go ahead in games, Odegaard replied: “I think it is.
“When you’re leading 1-0 you get a little bit afraid to lose the win and, in my opinion, that’s what we did wrong today.” He said.
“We have to keep on playing and go for the second one, and that was always the intention but we didn’t manage to do it on the pitch, so that’s a shame.”
Odegaard’s change in stance highlights the worrying situation the Gunners currently find themselves in.
Despite the 10-match unbeaten run, the recent defeats against Liverpool, Manchester United and Everton showed that there has been little change from the seasons previous, even with the huge investment in the summer transfer window.
The Gunners have finished eight in back-to-back seasons, and with the way that this season is panning out currently, Arteta’s side look on course for a third consecutive finish in eighth place.
Odegaard’s comments were certainly telling, and hopefully, his stance on the club’s atmosphere in October can resurface again, as the north London side certainly has time on their side to regain the form from October and November.
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