Dissecting Arsenal's attack: The Odegaard-Eze link and what Havertz's return means for Gyokeres

AFC BournemouthArsenalAston VillaBrentfordBrighton & Hove AlbionBurnleyChelseaCrystal PalaceEvertonFulhamLeeds UnitedLiverpoolManchester CityManchester UnitedNewcastle UnitedNottingham ForestSunderlandTottenham HotspurWest Ham UnitedWolverhampton WanderersScores & ScheduleStandingsFantasyThe Athletic FC NewsletterPodcastsAttwell Kept Off Forest MatchesExploring Chelsea's FinancesThe Art of RubberneckingPL Title Race Martin Odegaard and Eberechi Eze have rarely been able to play together Getty Images Share articleIt was hard to see where Arsenal’s attacking threat would come from before they travelled to Manchester City, but elements of their performance helped show what could be possible in the coming weeks. The rare sight of Martin Odegaard, Eberechi Eze and Kai Havertz on the pitch at the same time reinvigorated a spark that had been absent for the better part of a month. Arsenal’s biggest moments involving these players came in the second half of the defeat at the Etihad, with Eze hitting the post and Havertz having a big chance saved, but this trio were crucial throughout. Odegaard has been unlucky with injuries this season, but took an extended recovery time after his most recent knee issue to ensure he could return without pain, and set the tone both with and without the ball. At the time of his latest injury, on a per-90-minute basis, the club captain ranked first at Arsenal for assists, and second for chances created (including assists), chances created from open-play and passes into the final third. He picked up where he left off at the Etihad, ranking first among Arsenal players for chances created (four), final third passes completed (15), expected assists (0.33) and ball recoveries (seven). Eze was more defensively disciplined than his last league start on the left wing, away to Aston Villa, helping regain possession high upfield but also showed personality on the ball. Rather than staying on the left wing, he spun into more central areas, which could be a key element of him and Odegaard revitalising Arsenal’s attack that we will get to soon. As for Havertz, he missed two big chances in the second half, but had much more presence than Viktor Gyokeres has shown in matches this season. No player was involved in more aerial duels than Havertz in the game (10), with Rodri the only player to win more (six) than his five. Despite his missed header in added time, that presence alongside his pressing with Odegaard and Declan Rice made Arsenal competitive. This was not the first time Arsenal had used Havertz, Rice and Odegaard to press City high, with their 2023 Community Shield performance a potential blueprint, but the use of Eze and Odegaard together does beg the torturous ‘What if?’ question when looking back on the season. What if Odegaard had been fit more often this season? What if Mikel Arteta used them together instead of as like-for-like changes after the New Year? The 74 minutes they played alongside each other on Sunday was the longest they had been on the pitch together in the Premier League all season. It was just their fourth start as a pair, having played 43, 30 and 45 minutes together in the other three. The fact Bukayo Saka has started just two games with Odegaard and Eze this season is another major shame. One of these matches was at home to West Ham United in October. Saka started on the right while Odegaard and Eze were used as central midfielders with Leandro Trossard on the left. Odegaard was forced off with an injury after 30 minutes, so the shape changed when Martin Zubimendi took his place, but the Arsenal captain had made as many line-breaking passes into the final third (four) as any player who completed the game in that half-hour alone. Arteta said he would like to try that combination of Odegaard and Eze together again after the match, and the slightly different setup away to City showed how it could work given more time. Progressing the ball through central areas has been an issue for Arsenal recently, and Eze rolling inside while Odegaard is also central could help solve that. The effort that hit the post is the prime example, as Eze receives the ball directly from Odegaard as central as you could get in the D of the box. After Eze’s hat-trick against Spurs in November, Arteta said: “He has such a quality and capacity to finish actions in different ways that we need to play him very close to the box. The more he spends time there, the better for the team.” There may have been an assumption that the 27-year-old had to be used as No 10 to get close to the box, but this shows that is not the case. Having the freedom to drift into those areas, even with Odegaard on the pitch, is vital to seeing a spike in creativity. And the sequence below, albeit with Havertz offside, is equally as important. Creative players co-existing and popping up in these areas is harder for opposition midfielders to cope with, and allows for sharp injections of pace in passing that unlocks defences. Piero Hincapie providing the width from left-back was also an aspect of play that Arsenal could help Eze when playing from the left when they signed him. The obsession with technical midfielders may be tiresome for some, but moves like the one above bring minor flashbacks to the one below and another involving Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri that has been revisited recently. What if questions can be posed around whether the connection between Odegaard and Eze could have grown more during the season, but focus has to be on the here and now. As Arteta put it post-match, the next five games are “a new league”. Arsenal need to attack that new league with their most potent attacking force, and the way two players who are similarly creative but have complementary characteristics (Odegaard through knitting play together, Eze through high-volume shooting) feels like a working formula for the upcoming block of matches. Up front, Havertz glues things together much better than Gyokeres, but that does not mean both cannot have a role to play. Six of Gyokeres’ 10 goals for Arsenal in 2026 have come as a substitute. Arsenal were already winning in three of these matches, were drawing in one, and losing in another. On the goals that came in matches where Arsenal already had a lead, Arteta admitted: “He [Gyokeres] came on in moments as well when the game probably was a little bit more open. Today [post-Sunderland] he had more company [Havertz and Gabriel Martinelli] in and around him. It depends on the opponent, it depends on the context.” He did not have an impact off the bench away to City, but using Gyokeres as a finisher may be the best plan of action, given the players who are available again. If Arsenal have a lead, and opponents open up more, utilising him then to help their goal difference could be key. If the game is still in the balance, the Swede arriving into the box is what opened the scoring for Arsenal late on against Everton. To complete Arsenal’s front four, Saka returning in full health like Odegaard is an obvious priority. Aside from Madueke and Dowman offering him support, Martinelli showed that he can still be an option off the right too (even if he pressed at the wrong time for Erling Haaland’s winner, his tackle led to a game-winning chance for Arsenal minutes earlier). It is unlikely that one set of players will start every game from now until the end of the season, especially with the Champions League semi-finals to play. In the Premier League, however, now is the time to get the most out of the trio that is Odegaard, Eze and Havertz. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms