Arsenal
Smith Rowe 48, Saka 79^2RATINGS
Arsenal (4-2-3-1): A Ramsdale 7 — C Soares 7,
B White 7, Gabriel 7, K Tierney 7 — T Partey 8,
G Xhaka 7 — B Saka 8, M Odegaard 9,
E Smith Rowe 8 (N Pépé 75min) — A Lacazette 6
(E Nketiah 84). Booked Gabriel.
Brentford (3-5-2): D Raya 6 — K Ajer 6, P Jansson 5,
E Pinnock 5 — S Canós 5 (S Ghoddos 84), J Dasilva 5
(S Baptiste 68, 6), C Norgaard 6, M Jensen 5
(V Janelt 44, 6), R Henry 5 — B Mbeumo 5, Y Wissa 5.
Booked Jansson.
Referee J Moss.
Attendance 60,000.Brentford
Norgaard 90+3^1JAMES GHEERBRANT
The next Marcelo Bielsa? It may be
too early to say that about the
Huddersfield Town head coach,
Carlos Corberán, but Saturday’s 2-1
win against Fulham was a display of
which his former mentor at Leeds
United would be proud.
Corberán was assistant coach
to Bielsa at Leeds before joining
Huddersfield. The Argentinian called
There was one moment in this match
that encapsulated everything Martin
Odegaard brings to this Arsenal side.
Tight to the right touchline in his own
half, Odegaard received a straight
pass up the line from Cédric Soares.
Facing towards the Arsenal goal,
without looking behind him, he
played a beautifully ostentatious
dummy, allowing the ball to run
through to Bukayo Saka. As soon as
he’d missed it, he peeled round Rico
Henry, looking for the return pass,
and when it arrived, he sprang Saka
in behind the Brentford defence with
a one-touch through-ball.
It demonstrated Odegaard’s
perception, his touch, his infectious
playfulness, and most special of all,
that rare quality of subliminal
communication, the ability to share
the unfolding image in his head with
his team-mates with a pass or a turn,
or even without touching the ball at
all. As soon as Odegaard swept his
left foot over the ball, like a torero
swishing his cape over a running bull,
Saka was seeing the same picture that
he was, the same map of how to
unravel the defence. You can’t really
measure this quality. But it does seem
to be a big factor in the improvement
in Arsenal’s collective performances.
In a trio of brilliant displays by
Arsenal’s young attacking-midfield
three, Saka, Odegaard and Emile
Smith Rowe, the Norwegian’s was
perhaps the best. He demanded the
ball, motioned his team-mates into
position, created space and opened
angles, and collaborated in some
zippy little triangles with Cédric and
Saka. He completed 39 passes in the
final third, comfortably the most on
either side, but he also worked hard:
only Gabriel and Kristoffer Ajer
recovered the ball on more occasions.
In the No 10 position, Odegaard
offers a mix of creative and
industrious attributes that feels very
modern. This season, only three
players in the Premier League are
averaging over five recoveries, 15
pressures, 20 passes in the final third
and four shot-creating actions
(defined by Statsbomb as either of the
two actions which directly precede a
shot, be they passes, dribbles, or fouls
won). Odegaard is one; the other two
are Bruno Fernandes and Hakim
Ziyech. But whereas Fernandes and
Ziyech lose possession about 20
times per 90 minutes, Odegaard is
more secure, averaging only 13.5 ball
losses.
To listen to Mikel Arteta is to be
left in no doubt that just as importantas what Odegaard offers on the pitch
are the intangibles that he brings, in
terms of attitude and character.
“He has found his place,” the
Arsenal manager said. “He is really
happy. He has the environment, the
people, the time on the pitch to enjoy
it and that’s what he is doing.
“He’s getting better and better and
I’m not surprised, the way he lives his
profession, the way he likes to play
football and everything he does is to
become better so he has still a big
margin [to improve]. He wants it more
than probably anybody else on that
pitch, every single day, and he will be
top, top.”
Arsenal’s club captain, Alexandre
Lacazette, is out of contract in the
summer, and asked if Odegaard, thenational-team captain of Norway, had
the credentials to wear the armband,
Arteta was unequivocal.
“He certainly has all the qualities to
do that,” he said. “Talking to his
national team coach... how highly
they speak of him. He walks through
the corridor and everybody loves
him. He is such a nice, humble guy.
He leads with the way he is and it is
very natural for him, and that will
come.”
Brentford, whose average of exactly
six open-play chances created per
game is the second-lowest in the
Premier League this season, are in
desperate need of a player like
Odegaard, and they must hope that
Christian Eriksen, who is approaching
full readiness, can provide the samesort of creative spark and charismatic
uplift.
Speaking after the match, Thomas
Frank, the Brentford head coach, said
Eriksen had a strong chance of
appearing in their next game, a
crucial match against a resurgent
Newcastle United on Saturday.
“He will have a light [training]
session [on Sunday], then he’ll play a
game behind closed doors on
Monday, then he’ll train normally
with the team on Thursday and
Friday,” Frank said. “We made a plan
from the beginning and we want to
take it week by week.
“Physically he’s in a fine place, he’s
just looked better and better. He just
needed time to put him in the best
physical and mental place.”Corberán, the ‘next Bielsa’, focused on joining
Spanish head coach’s
success at Huddersfield
is catching the eye,
writes Tomás Hill
López-Menchero
his Spanish colleague “very talented”
when they worked together and even
said he valued his opinion more
highly than his own. So reports this
month that Leeds are considering
Corberán as a potential replacement
for Bielsa if he leaves this summer
should come as no surprise.
Victory against the runaway Sky
Bet Championship leaders at Craven
Cottage took Corberán’s stock even
higher. With Aleksandar Mitrovic a
goal away from breaking Ivan Toney’s
Championship record of 31 goals in a
season, it was the striker Danny Ward
who struck first in the 31st minute.
Duane Holmes’s 43rd-minute
penalty produced more wild scenes
among the travelling support — adecision which the Fulham head
coach, Marco Silva, said was a “clear
mistake” by the referee, Tony
Harrington. Bobby Decordova-Reid
pulled a goal back in the 82nd minute,
but Corberán’s side held out.
“It’s important when you show that
effort to get the three points, because
that helps the team believe even more
that effort is the only way we have to
get results,” Corberán, 38, said.
That effort has been clear
throughout the season. Huddersfield
are now 15 games unbeaten in all
competitions since the beginning of
December. That streak has also
included wins against Burnley and
Barnsley to book their place in the
last 16 of the FA Cup. They haveclimbed to fifth and into the
Championship play-off places after
many had expected another year
of disappointment.
Huddersfield’s form has distracted
from boardroom confusion. In
November nine businesses belonging
to the chairman, Phil Hodgkinson,
went into administration, although
Huddersfield said this did not affect
the company through which he owns
75 per cent of the club. The former
owner Dean Hoyle became interim
chief executive last month, while talks
have reportedly been held with the
former Ipswich Town owner Marcus
Evans. Hoyle has said that he put
“millions” into the club to stop them
going into administration last year.Corberán has fixed a leaky defence
and turned Huddersfield into play-off
contenders in the ChampionshipOdegaard is leader Arsenal crave
STUART MACFARLANE/GETTY IMAGES
Odegaard did
not get on the
scoresheet
but was still
a standout
performer29
Unbeaten home PL
games starting at
3pm on a Saturday
for Arsenal, dating
back to 2013-1410 2GG Monday February 21 2022 | the times
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