Odegaard’s derby delight and facing Bayern | Interview | News

Before every game at Emirates Stadium, Martin Odegaard lifts the lid on the mood in the camp via his captain’s notes published in the matchday programme.

Ahead of today’s game against Bayern Munich, our captain speaks about the atmosphere at the north London derby and facing the German giants at Emirates Stadium. Here is a snippet:

Personally, I was so disappointed not to be involved in the squad for the north London derby. I had been working really hard all week to be ready for it, but unfortunately, I wasn’t quite ready by Sunday. I’m getting close now and games like that just make me even more determined to come back. I thought we were brilliant.

We dominated the game early on, and as soon as Leo put us ahead, we took control and looked dangerous every time we went forward. And what a day for Ebs! That performance was just incredible, three brilliant finishes for the goals and it’s a game he will never forget.

We all enjoyed it together in the changing room after the game, but as soon as Monday came, we were focussed on the next one.

Tonight against Bayern Munich is another huge game of course, between the top two teams in the UEFA Champions League table after four matches, so it’s massive for both clubs. This is as big as it gets at this stage, it’s a proper test and a game that everyone is really excited to play. Bayern are one of the best teams in Europe at the moment, and probably the most consistent.

Apart from one draw, away to Union Berlin just before the international break, they have won every game they have played this season in every competition. It’s an amazing record of winning games so that tells you all you need to know about their quality.

So it’s a massive game, and I think it’s made even bigger because everyone has in their mind what happened in the Champions League two years ago, when they knocked us out, but the main thing for us is to keep up our form in this competition.

We have been so strong so far, winning all four games and not conceding. Last time out at Slavia Prague I thought we looked really strong again. Again we kept a clean sheet, and I loved seeing the reaction at the end when Slavia’s penalty was overturned by VAR. You can tell how much that clean sheet meant to all of our players. The defenders absolutely love it, and David as well.

We are proud of our defensive record in this competition, and to be fair, it’s something the whole team have pride in – not just the defence. I certainly go into games wanting to keep a clean sheet in every single game we play as well. That’s the mindset because it makes it a lot easier to win games when you keep a clean sheet.

That’s always the goal but we looked good going forward in Prague as well, despite missing a few of our attacking players. We found a way to win – Mikel Merino delivering again with his two goals. I think it just sums up our team at the moment: there is always someone ready to step up and take that responsibility.

Maybe we were struggling a little bit in the beginning of the game but we found a way to win. It made it four wins in a row to start the Champions League, and we want to stay solid and be on top form in every game because that is crucial in this format.

Read the rest of Martin’s notes, as well as a host of other fantastic content, by buying the Arsenal v Bayern Munich programme either around the stadium or online, or subscribe to get every edition delivered to your door.

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