Odegaard Emphasizes Arsenal’s Confidence and Success from Set-Pieces

Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard stated that every player in the squad “believes” the team will score from a set-piece due to their proficiency in such situations. William Saliba’s equalising goal against Fulham on Sunday marked the third consecutive corner from which the Gunners have scored, highlighting the ongoing difficulty for opposing defenders in neutralizing their threat within the penalty area. The goal originated from a deep corner delivered by Declan Rice, which Kai Havertz headed back across the goal, allowing Saliba to tap it in from within the six-yard box. This marked the ninth instance of Mikel Arteta’s team scoring from a set-piece in the league this season. Furthermore, it was Arsenal’s 23rd goal from a corner since the beginning of last term, a total surpassing any other club in Europe’s major leagues. Odegaard commented, “We’re so good at it and everyone believes that when we have a set-piece, we’re going to score.” He added, “And [against Fulham] we did, and we could have scored a few more to be honest. That’s a good thing and we just have to keep that up.” Arsenal now face a series of what are perceived as more favourable fixtures, starting with Everton’s visit to the Emirates Stadium on Saturday, followed by games against Crystal Palace and Ipswich. Given their inconsistent performance this campaign, the margin for error is diminishing if Arteta aims to guide the club to its first title since 2004, especially after their descent to third place in the league table. Odegaard further stated, “The mood obviously now is disappointed because we didn’t win, but we have to move on to the next, they come so quickly now.” He concluded, “There’s no time to be too disappointed, we have to move on and make sure we win the next one and that’s it.”