Martin Odegaard has now urged his Arsenal teammates to ‘make the most’ of their fewer games after exiting the Europa League. He sees it as a small boost for the Premier League.
The Gunners fell out of the UEFA competition this Thursday night after losing on penalties to Sporting Lisbon. Granit Xhaka gave Mikel Arteta’s side the lead on aggregate during the first half. But the Liga Portugal outfit responded during a gruelling 120 minutes in north London.
Arsenal now have just the Premier League to focus on as Odegaard bids to captain them to the title. It would be the Emirates Stadium team’s first top-flight crown in 19 years. Arsene Wenger oversaw their last title back in 2003/04 as the Frenchman coached the Invincibles.
ODEGAARD CAN SEE A SMALL SILVER LINING IN ARSENAL EXITING THE EUROPA LEAGUE
Arteta has Arsenal sitting five points clear at the top of the Premier League table with 11 games to play. Odegaard has played a vital role in the Gunners’ surprise title challenge, as well. The 24-year-old has recorded 10 goals and seven assists through his 26 appearances.
Now exiting the Europa League may now help Arsenal as Arteta no longer has to juggle his squad management. Manchester City, on the other hand, must balance trying to overturn a five-point deficit and advancing in the Champions League after making the quarter-finals.
THE GUNNERS MUST NOW TAKE ADVANTAGE IN THE PREMIER LEAGUE TITLE RACE
Manchester City face a tough draw in the Champions League, as well. UEFA has drawn Pep Guardiola’s side against the Catalan’s former club, Bayern Munich, in the quarter-final. The winners will then face either the reigning champions, Real Madrid, or Chelsea in the semis.
Odegaard can see not having to worry about the Europa League any longer as a small silver lining of Arsenal’s defeat to Sporting as they eye the Premier League title. But the benefits of not having UEFA ties on the calendar does not satisfy the Norway skipper unreservedly.
“There are obviously less games,” Odegaard explained to football.london. “But we wanted to do something special in this competition, so it’s disappointing.
“But also it is straightforward now, we only have the league to focus on. We have to make the most of that and make sure we finish well.”
