Arsenal have not performed up to expectations so far this season, with the North London side seven points behind Premier League leaders Liverpool and in 12th place in the league phase of the Champions League after four matches.
Pundits have tried to explain the lacklustre form of the Premier League runners-up from the past two seasons, but a retired Gunners legend believes Martin Odegaard's absence is a big reason for the team's uninspired play.
Odegaard suffered an ankle injury while on international duty with Norway in September and missed every Arsenal game thereafter until returning for a stoppage-time cameo in the Gunners' 1-0 loss at Inter Milan on Wednesday.
It's been a long wait for the Arsenal captain to return, and Nigel Winterburn stated recently that there are many qualities that Odegaard possesses that have been missing from the team's play in his absence.
“Odegaard brings energy, he has an ability to make a pass and score goals as well," Winterburn told bonuscodebets.co.uk. "He’s creative. He’s the one who leads the press from the front. He’s been a huge miss because he’s been in terrific form.
“Arsenal have had to mix things up with [Leandro] Trossard coming in as a ten. [Kai] Havertz has dropped back on occasions. They’ve missed Odegaard’s ability and he’s captain of the team which tells you everything you need to know."
Winterburn also points to Arsenal's inability to keep players healthy as a major downfall for the club this season.
“You expect squads to pick up injuries but I’ve never seen anything like this or this amount of injuries," he said. "It’s incredible but Odegaard is a big, big loss.”
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