Ødegaard: I feel I perform well as long as I'm healthy

After a 3-0 victory over Manchester City in the Community Shield, Arsenal captain Ødegaard was interviewed by Viaplay Norway.

Martin Ødegaard, congratulations on winning your third title with Arsenal as captain. How does it feel?

It feels great. It was a fantastic game and a great way to start the new season. It feels really good to win another trophy.

And to win so convincingly. What's your summary of the game?

Yes, I do think we were clearly the better team. Scoring early certainly gave us a dream start. But I think after that, we gradually took control of the game, were very smart in possession, and made the opponent run a lot. We kept a clean sheet, scored a few goals, and could have even scored more. Overall, it was a very solid and excellent game.

Last season was a bit stop-and-go for you due to various challenges. But now you seem to be truly back in top form. Is that the case? Or is it because the World Cup buzz hasn't faded, or the Tveitestrand effect, or something else?

Being able to stay healthy, be on the pitch, train systematically, and play games is obviously a huge advantage. This naturally leads to better form. Last season, I was indeed bothered by injuries, which undoubtedly affected my season and on-field performance. But I feel that as long as I'm healthy, my performance has always been pretty good. Now I just need to keep working hard in training, and my form will get even better.

Last season, you, Havertz, Saka, and others played together for a long time. What can we expect from Arsenal's attack this year?

Yes, of course. Considering all the injuries we had last season, we definitely have room for improvement. So hopefully, we can do better in that area this year. I think in today's game, everyone saw that we played some very good football. Many players showed their best, and the understanding between them was excellent. The new players have also truly shown their quality and performed very well. So, the prospects look very exciting. We have to keep working hard, improving step by step, and it will be very interesting.

Let's talk about the new signing, Tsolis. He's had a very busy summer. And your partner Guimaraes, how are the two of them integrating?

Ødegaard: I think both of them are excellent. Tsolis is a very lively and good person, and he always brings energy when he comes on, performing very actively. He's very good on the ball and works incredibly hard. You saw his quality today. And Guimaraes, we knew him well before; we've played against him many times and know how difficult he is to face. It's great to have him as part of our team now. I think he performed very, very well today both with and without the ball.

Yes, especially on the ball, his through passes, and what he can do in your area of activity. What does this mean for your role and for you to get into the box more frequently? Will it allow you to get close to the 15 Premier League goals you scored in the 2022/23 season? That's setting the bar a bit high, but you know what I mean.

Yes, exactly. I think he played brilliantly today. He's very good on the ball, very calm in possession, and can drive forward. He covers a lot of ground, which, of course, gives more freedom to the other players around us. So, it looks very good. We just need to keep building and developing the understanding we already have, and it will get even better, which will be very interesting.

Thank you very much. Now you just need to put that so-called Community Shield curse or whatever behind you.

Haha, yes.

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