“He has that vision”: Martin Odegaard is Arsenal's new Dennis Bergkamp and can end the routine against Chelsea
As a long-time teammate of Dennis Bergkamp, Arsenal icon Ray Parlor knows the legendary striker's game inside out.
That is why he believes that the Gunners captain Martin Odegaard is a kind of reincarnation of Bergkamp and backed the Norwegian star to bring out Arsenal out of his falling form.
Club captain Odegaard had been out since September after suffered an ankle injury while on international duty…
However, came off the bench at Arsenal 1-0 defeat against Inter Milan in the Champions League on Wednesday, a welcome sight for fans amid a nightmare slump in form.
Odegaard's return to the starting line-up cannot come soon enough as Mikel Arteta's side have fallen to three defeats in their last six games in all competitions.
The Gunners also scored six goals in that run of games, although three came against second-tier side Preston North End in the Carabao Cup.
speaking in talkSPORT breakfastParlor used Arsenal's Attack struggles against Newcastle as a clear example of why they have missed Odegaard so much.
“Well, he has the vision, he has that creativity,” Parlor said.
“If you look at the midfield area, you have (Thomas) Partey, Declan Rice when he plays, (Mikel) Merino also comes into the team, very similar players, really. All very good players, don't get carried away. I'm wrong. I'm wrong. I'd like to see Declan step up a bit more when Partey plays.
“But if Odegaard is there, he is that player who takes the ball in difficult situations. He sees the pass and creates opportunities.
“When I watched the Newcastle game, they needed a bit of creativity because Newcastle were very comfortable sitting in front of the defence. Newcastle's midfield had done a great job, by the way.
“He can just bring something more to the team, a little different to the other players they have. He's a big outsider, but I don't know if he's fit and if he's recovered. If he's at 80 percent, play against him for 70 minutes.” , I would.”
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talkSPORT presenter Alan Brasil pointed out that Arsenal were “missing something” in recent games, and Parlor agreed.
The Arsenal veteran of 459 caps then made a bold comparison between Odegaard and Bergkamp, noting that they both share strikingly similar qualities in their game.
“Well, I look at Bergkamp when he played,” said the Invincibles hero.
“I wouldn't say he (Odegaard) is as good as Bergkamp, but he is very similar in the way he can see the vision and create opportunities.
“What I'm saying is he can get into small areas, he's a very intelligent player. Watch his vision when he passes balls. He knows where the runs are going to come from. Against Newcastle, I didn't see that.” I didn't see the creativity in Arsenal's midfield.
“That's what he can bring to the team if he comes back at the weekend.”
It will take something special for Odegaard to be talked about in the same breath as Bergkamp among Arsenal fans.
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The Dutchman played more than 420 games for the Gunners throughout his 11-year career at the club.
He also scored countless iconic goals, none more so than his stunning strike against Newcastle in 2002, when he looped the ball around a defender and coolly scored.
With 157 appearances for Arsenal under his belt, Odegaard has a ways to go if he is to emulate Bergkamp's exploits.
But the immediate future will be the focus for Odegaard and the Gunners, with Sunday's biggest clash against Chelsea the most pressing issue.
