– Extreme that he got the role
Arsenal are chasing their first league gold in 19 years. On Sunday, Martin Ødegaard (24) leads the league leader against Manchester United – it gives associations to the wild hate matches 20–25 years ago.
– It is in itself very interesting to see the Arsenal team reach it, but when you get Ødegaard on top of that it becomes huge, says Åge Hareide to VG.
The coaching legend, with a past as manager of Norway and Denmark among other things, is looking forward to Sunday’s match where Ødegaard meets another midfield giant – Christian Eriksen. He played under Hareide on the Danish national team.
– Martin reminds a lot of Christian, both as a player and as a type. They are light-footed, technical and have an extremely good radar. Martin and Christian see the opportunity before everyone else, Hareide believes.
Eriksen is not the captain of Manchester United, Bruno Fernandes has that role when Harry Maguire is on the bench.
– Christian was vice-captain when I coached Denmark, but it was mostly to take some of the pressure off. He had to control the game, score the goals and was the big one. Then it was fine for Simon Kjær to take the captain’s job, says Hareide.
– Has disproved all doubts
– Are you surprised that Ødegaard has become captain at Arsenal?
– I have not worked closely with him, but Ståle Solbakken chose him as captain of the national team first. You see the good qualities he has on the pitch, and he is a very balanced guy, says Hareide.
Ronny Deila was a coach at Strømsgodset when Ødegaard had his big breakthrough in the Eliteserien as a 15-year-old. Almost nine years later, the old eleven is captain of the team that leads the Premier League.
– He was an exceptional talent, and I am absolutely not surprised that he is doing so well now. I was a little unsure of his pace, but Martin has disproved all doubts, says Deila to VG.
– The role of captain – are you surprised that he got it?
– No, I thought he could become captain and leader. He has always had good values such as hard work and being dedicated. Someone who cares about his teammates, praises Deila, who is now a coach at Standard Liège in Belgium.
– Martin also does not shy away from bad results and adversity. He has a tough personality. Then it is what he does in training, how he appears in the group of players – on and off the field – that makes him a good captain, Deila believes.
Hareide draws out the similarity with Eriksen, while Deila believes Ødegaard reminds a lot of another great midfield conductor such as the Norwegian star coach who played with Real Madrid:
– The way he dictates and controls the game reminds me a lot of Luka Modric.
It is five points down on Manchester City in second place, and Arsenal also have a game to spare. Manchester United are eighteen points behind, but a win at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday night will put real pressure on the top of the table again.
After five straight league wins, Manchester United stumbled and conceded the 1-1 goal against Crystal Palace on Wednesday night.
It may have taken a bit of the sting out before Sunday’s duel, but it was still a bit of “old greatness” from the duel between Arsenal and Manchester United.
The hat-tricks against Manchester United
– I remember well the games against Arsenal when I was at United. It usually became something extra, and both teams had personalities who were not afraid of confrontations on or off the field, says Henning Berg to VG.
Berg won the league with Blackburn in 1994/95, and joined Manchester United in 1997, where he became the first in history to win the Premier League for two different clubs in 1999. He returned to Blackburn in September 2000, but managed to get say more of the «wild» games against Arsenal.
– It was a special thing because they were the two best teams in England at the time. The tempo was often much higher, and when you played against Dennis Bergkamp, Thierry Henry, Robert Pires and Fredrik Ljungberg you had to be on your toes, says Berg.
– Arsenal had a very good team, and a manager in Arsène Wenger who helped to modernize English football. We had Alex Ferguson, who was extremely good at renewing himself. These duels made both clubs develop, Berg believes.
From the mid-90s until Chelsea and José Mourinho took the 2004/05 season, it was Arsenal and Manchester United who traded to take the league gold. Arsenal three times, and Manchester United six.
Keane vs Vieira
Arsenal with Tony Adams and later Patrick Vieira as captain, while Manchester United had Roy Keane. Especially the duels between Vieira and Keane will remain as one of the most intense in English football history.
– If it was a 50/50 duel it was good, neither Patrick nor Roy took a step back. They didn’t think much about whether they were injured themselves and they had a mentality that spread to the other players, believes Berg, who doesn’t exactly see many similarities with the two captains and Ødegaard.
– There is no point for Ødegaard to be like Keane or Vieira. He can be just as good a captain by being himself, leading by example and showing confidence and discipline on the pitch. He does that brilliantly now, says Berg.
– How did you experience Keane as captain then?
– He was absolutely not a bully, as many people think. When I was there he was an excellent captain who pushed others to do their best. You got to hear it if you didn’t perform, but that was perfectly fine.
The atmosphere between Keane and Viera comes across well in this video from 2005:
– I hated Arsenal, Keane has said BBC Sports.
– I can’t think of another word when I got ready to face Arsenal. Hate was the word. I don’t remember liking anyone at Arsenal, he added.
The former midfield warrior has also said that Vieira was the one he loved most of all to get into duels with. It was mutual.
– He is my favorite enemy. “I don’t know if that makes sense to you, but it does to me because I loved all aspects of his game,” Vieira told ITV4, according to The independent.
– I love that time with those games, and Manchester United supporters I know say the same. It was something very special. It was a war, and even if they went over the border sometimes the games were fantastic, recalls Ronny Madsen as head of the Norwegian supporters’ club for Arsenal.
The 46-year-old has not seen his favorite team lift the league trophy since 2004, and it was extra heavy when Wenger sold Arsenal favorite Robin van Persie to Manchester United in 2012. The Dutchman’s scores contributed greatly to Alex Ferguson leading United to the club’s last league gold for the time being in 2013.
– It has been some difficult years, but right now I shouldn’t complain. Well, even pessimistic Arsenal supporters are starting to believe that this can work, says Madsen.
– I think that the team that took the league gold in 2004 was better than today’s team, because now we don’t have the big stars. But it is a very young team that plays entertaining football, Madsen believes.
Was skeptical
Madsen can also be happy that compatriot Ødegaard has flourished at the London club.
– I was skeptical when he came, but what he is doing is wild. He is only 24 years old and can develop. He can be captain for many years to come.
– Vieira was captain the last time Arsenal won gold – Ødegaard is a slightly different type, isn’t he?
– Yes, it is quite extreme that he has been given that role. That says a bit about the confidence Mikel Arteta has in him. Ødegaard has strong leaders around him in the form of Granit Xhaka, who you see like many of the chats. Ødegaard is more of a leader in terms of what he does on the pitch.
Madsen believes Arsenal’s next four league games will be difficult compared to the golden game. After Sunday’s game, it’s away to Everton, home to Brentford and then home to Manchester City on February 15.
– If they win the next four games now, I think a lot has been done. The home game against City will really be a decision, Madsen says quickly.