da pinup bet： Mikel Arteta's side fell agonisingly short in their battle with Manchester City last season, but their skipper feels a title is not far away
da spicy bet： When Martin Odegaard stood in the centre of the Emirates Stadium pitch moments after Arsenal’s 2-1 success against Everton on the final day of last season, the pain of narrowly missing out on the Premier League title was etched all over his face.
As he addressed the fans, Odegaard spoke of his pride at what Arsenal had achieved having pushed Manchester City all the way to the final minutes of the campaign, but the crushing disappointment of seeing the club’s first Premier League crown in 20 years slip away was still clear for all to see.
Two months have now passed and that disappointment still remains. But Odegaard doesn’t look at it as a bad thing. In fact, the 25-year-old, who is currently in Marbella with a handful of his team-mates preparing for the new season at a summer training camp, is adamant that it will be the driving force that will lead Arsenal to silverware in the coming campaign.
(C)GettyImagesMotivation for more
“When you are so close, you can feel it, you can taste it,” he told reporters. “We had the big dream. We had it on the last day and I really had the feeling something special would happen and so did a lot of people.
“After the game it was just disappointment. You can see it, the trophy was there, so that was the emotion right then, but at the same time it is important to think about all the good things. It gives us all the motivation we need to come back even stronger this year and to win it.”
Odegaard added: “Every setback can make you stronger. Just for us to be here and talking about last season as a big disappointment shows how far we’ve come and what we’re all about now. We want to win something and that just shows the mentality we have now. We are not satisfied if we don’t win. That’s why we’re going to keep pushing each other every day to make sure we do that. We just want to get better and better.
“I think it is easy to find the motivation because we all want to win, we all want the same thing and we are all pushing each other so hard every day. The staff, players, supporters. Everyone is pushing in the same direction. We have the big goal. It is just about doing those small things every day to become a little bit better and in the end I’m sure it is going to be rewarded with a trophy.”
AdvertisementGetty ImagesLearning from the past
Arsenal have now been pipped to the title by City for the past two seasons in the Premier League. Arteta, though, has built a squad that has shown it can go toe to toe with Pep Guardiola's star-studded team. The big challenge now, though, is taking that one extra step and actually getting the better of them over a nine-month campaign.
It wasn’t long ago that Arsenal were seen as the young pretenders, with many often pointing to that inexperience as a reason why they have fallen short over the past couple of years when attempting to get over the line in the title race. And while they are still young as a squad, the Gunners have learned a lot from recent experiences. So does Odegaard believe that will stand them in good stead over the coming campaign?
“I think so,” he said. “With age you feel like you have more experience. You feel like you are more prepared and I think that is a good thing.
“There are a lot of young players in the team and I feel like I am one of the older guys to be honest, and I kind of like that as well. To have that experience and hopefully use it in the best possible way. Getting older you feel more responsible and you feel like you are hitting your peak. Hopefully there is a lot more to come. With age you want to just push to reach your maximum level, wherever that is.”
Preparations begin
Odegaard travelled out to Marbella last week to join the likes of Emile Smith Rowe, Jurrien Timber and Ben White at a summer training camp organised by Arteta and his coaching staff. The trip has been designed to get players who have not been involved with their national teams over the summer the best possible chance of being in top condition for the start of the new season.
Arsenal know the importance of starting quickly, especially with away games against Aston Villa, Tottenham and Man City in the opening weeks of the campaign.
So as to further prepare, the Gunners travel to the United States at the end of July, where they will take on Bournemouth and Liverpool, as well as a mouth-watering clash against Manchester United at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles on July 27th.
And Odegaard is well aware of what a strong pre-season can do for a team.
Getty Images'Gaining advantages'
“It’s really important to get a good start and to get a good feeling straight away,” he said. “The work we put in now will help us a lot, especially in the beginning of the season to come back fit and sharp and be ready.
“It is a good chance to gain some advantage. I have always felt this way. Of course you need a break, but it is also a good chance to work on things you can’t normally work on. It is a good chance to improve.
“I am really excited [about the U.S. tour]. It has always been good going to the U.S. The support we have there is amazing and it is a great experience to travel around and meet different people, to feel the togetherness we have from all over the world. I am really excited to play some big games there. It is going to be fun.”