Arsenal Star Martin Odegaard Earns Stunning Praise From Premier League Rival
Arsenal's skipper and playmaker, Martin Ødegaard, earned significant praise from one of the Premier League's finest midfielders and a direct competitor to the North London club in this season's title race: Alexis Mac Allister.
Mac Allister penned an article for The Players' Tribune, sharing insights about his professional journey, the challenges he faced, and the satisfaction of achieving success with Liverpool and Argentina's national squad. Within his piece, the midfielder commended one of his direct competitors ahead of the current Premier League campaign: Ødegaard.
While discussing his tenure at Brighton and Hove Albion during his development years, Mac Allister looked back on the four-month period before the 2022 FIFA World Cup under Roberto De Zerbi's management of the Seagulls.
"When De Zerbi joined as our head coach that following season, just months before the World Cup, everything transformed for me. The primary aspect he helped me enhance was my field awareness—my ability to 'read' situations. Capturing quick mental snapshots of the tactical landscape every couple of seconds. We studied [Martin] Ødegaard as a model for this skill. In my opinion, he's among the world's elite when it comes to scanning. His head is constantly in motion. De Zerbi provided me with this valuable skill, and it truly enhanced my performance," Mac Allister explained.
While Mac Allister and Ødegaard may occupy different positions within their respective squads, the former operated as an attacking, central, and defensive midfielder throughout the 2022–23 campaign at Brighton. He featured in more than 10 matches in each position. Ødegaard was simultaneously emerging and cementing his status as one of the league's premier midfielders during Arsenal's initial attempt at three straight title pursuits.
The Norway international experienced a decline in performance last season, struggling to regain his rhythm following an ankle problem sustained early in the season while on international assignment. Meanwhile, Mac Allister and Gravenberch formed one of the world's most dominant midfield duos en route to securing a league championship in Arne Slot's debut campaign.
Both playmakers will face each other in the coming weeks when two title hopefuls meet at Anfield on August 31.