Arsenal is in a state of emergency ahead of the “North London Derby,” the best regional rival in the Premier League. Captain Martin Odegaard will be absent for a long time.
Britain’s Sky Sports reported on the 11th (Korea time) that Arsenal captain Oedegaard’s ankle injury in the Norwegian national team makes it difficult to play in the North London derby against Tottenham Hotspur.
외degaard started as a left midfielder in the second Group B match of the UEFA Nations League Group 3 against Austria in 2024-2205 season at Ullevol Stadion in Oslo, Norway.
외degaard was tackled by his opponent Christoph Baumgartner in the 18th minute of the second half when he started his attack, and his left ankle turned as he stepped on it.
Odegaard felt strong pain and immediately collapsed. Unable to stand up for a while, he managed to get off the ground with the help of a medical staff. Odegaard left the stadium in tears.
“Odegaard’s injury looked bad. He was sitting in a dressing room with a physical therapist. But he couldn’t run anymore. We know he has a sprained ankle,” Norwegian coach Stale Solbakken said in an interview after the match.
Ola Sand, a team doctor, said, “Yes, it’s a sprain. If the ligament is not damaged, I’m lucky to be able to run. We’ll see. Maybe we should check it out with an ultrasound. If it’s still unclear, then we should take a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan.”
Sand said on VG Sporten on the 10th, “This ankle injury takes at least three weeks. It can take more than three weeks,” adding that the injury could be prolonged.
Three weeks from now, Odegaard will be able to return to the club on March 3. Arsenal will play away matches including one UEFA Champions League match against Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday, Atalanta on Sunday, and Manchester City on Sunday.
On top of that, the Korean team will have three consecutive home matches against Bolton in the third round of the Carabao Cup on April 26, Leicester City on April 28, and PSG on April 2. In other words, Odegaard will miss at least all six of the above games. 안전놀이터
In the photo released by VG Sporten, Odegaard boarded a light aircraft bound for London on crutches. He boarded the plane with no shoes on his injured left ankle and only socks on. He underwent an MRI in London.
“We have to wait and see what’s coming out of the MRI and how quickly he recovers from treatment. The ankle injury is really painful. Odegaard was in really, really extremely painful. He was really worried,” Sand said on VG. “I was watching the MRI and sending it to Arsenal.
Sand said, “I don’t doubt any form of injury. In the case of a fracture, we talk about an additional six weeks of absence,” adding that Odegaard’s absence could increase depending on the severity of the injury.
However, Sand emphasized, “What we confirmed in the MRI images examined in London is that there is no ankle fracture.”
What’s worrisome is that Odegaard had been injured in the same area. Sand noted that Odegaard suffered a weaker ankle injury three years ago in a game against Gibraltar. The injury was suffered just before the end of the first half of the game, so he played the remaining five minutes before leaving the game. He then missed the 17th.
As Odegaard is forced to sit out for a long time due to an ankle injury, Arsenal are on alert for the away North London derby at Tottenham on the 15th. Odegaard is not the only one who is leaving.
Defensive midfielder Declan Rice, a key resource for Arsenal as much as Odegaard, will miss Tottenham’s away trip due to accumulated warnings.
Rice received a second warning in the fourth minute of the second half of the match against Brighton and Hove Albion at his home stadium, Emirates Stadium, on the 31st of last month, for interfering with Brighton’s resumption of free kicks.
Rice and 외degaard are all out of the midfield, and in addition to these players, defender Ricardo Calafior also suffered a calf injury in the Italian national team, making it difficult for him to play.
As both of the midfielders are missing, Arsenal are likely to have trouble forming the midfield. Mikel Merino, who was newly recruited to the midfield, is also likely to return after October due to his shoulder injury during the club’s first training session.
Rice’s place can be filled by Thomas Patina or Jorginho, but one more midfielder is needed for Mikel Arteta’s tactic of using three midfielders. Kai Havertz, who has been playing well as a striker, may have to come down or Leandro Trossar may have to use a desperate measure.
Arsenal showed strong performance against Tottenham by winning two consecutive games in the away match against Tottenham in the North London derby. In the North London derby, Arsenal had no loss in the last four matches (three wins and one draw).
In April, Arsenal won the 35th round away North London derby of last season’s league, 3-2. Starting with Pierre-Emile Hoibier’s own goal, Arsenal were first ahead with consecutive goals by Bukayo Saka and Kai Havertz. In the second half, Christian Romero and Son Heung-min scored the chasing goal, but they lost all the points.
For Tottenham, it is also the best time to escape the home defeat of the North London derby. For Tottenham, Dominic Solanke, Hishalisson and two strikers were out due to injuries, and Solanke could seek to return after the A-match break, but it is unclear.
Tottenham, however, has less power leakage than Arsenal. Attention is focusing on whether Tottenham will break its two-game losing streak at home in North London.