Arsenal midfielder Christian Norgaard made his first start for the club on Wednesday night, featuring in a 2-0 win over Port Vale.
Arsenal are through to the fourth round of the Carabao Cup, but Mikel Arteta is still facing questions.
Jamie Redknapp suggested an edginess around Arteta, believing that the Arsenal boss always looks ‘agitated’ on the sideline.
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Eberechi Eze and Leandro Trossard found the net against Port Vale, though Arsenal remained a little flat going forward.
Photo By Ricardo Larreina/Europa Press via Getty ImagesChristian Norgaard admits Declan Rice was right about Arsenal
Arteta will be pleased with the victory, and was certainly pleased with midfielder Christian Norgaard’s performance.
The Dane came in for his first Arsenal start since joining from Brentford over the summer.
Norgaard suffered an injury at the start of the season, and he has been working his way back to fitness in recent weeks.
Arteta praised Norgaard’s character and leadership, with the 31-year-old set to play an important squad role over the course of the season.
Norgaard has now admitted that Declan Rice was absolutely right with his assertion that Arsenal are a completely different level to anything he had previously experienced.
Rice told Sky Sports in 2023 – just weeks after signing from West Ham United – that he was ‘already seeing football in a completely different way’.
Norgaard told the London Evening Standard that he is now experiencing the very same feeling, admitting that Arteta’s mind is simply ‘brilliant’.
Norgaard added that he is still learning his role within Arsenal’s tactics and finds Arteta’s style of play ‘very demanding on a physical level’.
“I agree with him,” said Norgaard on Rice’s comments. “It is different than what I’ve been used to, but it’s brilliant how his mind works and the way he wants us to play.
“It’s very demanding on a physical level and also on a tactical level. So sometimes I still don’t know exactly the things I do, but of course, being out there, trying to execute it will always help.
“Now 90 minutes in the bank for me and another learning experience as well to get the tactical stuff a bit more under the skin,” he added.
Norgaard has now played twice for Arsenal and is working his way back to top form after a frustrating injury blow.
The Dane admitted that starting against Port Vale was an ‘amazing feeling’, while noting that his period on the sidelines has been ‘frustrating’.
Norgaard feels that he is now moving closer to his best form and is looking to recapture the momentum he found in pre-season.
“That (starting) was obviously an amazing feeling,” said Norgaard. “I’ve been waiting a long time for it.
“I had a taste of it in pre-season and then unfortunately had the injury. So I had to wait a bit, but today was a nice experience, even though it was a tough game. But we got the job done in the end.
“It’s been frustrating [being injured], but I think also you need to look at it as it could have been a lot worse as well. I missed three games, which is not the end of the world.
“I had a lot of momentum. I felt like in the pre-season, I played a lot of minutes and did really well. But then now it’s about getting back to rhythm again. Getting some minutes like today is amazing for me, getting closer to the level I know I can produce.
“I’m not quite there yet, but hopefully more minutes now with a new game as well [against Brighton]. There will be games all the time, so it’s just about being available, and I think the minutes will come my way,” he added.
Norgaard is unlikely to start for Arsenal before the next Carabao Cup clash against Brighton and Hove Albion, but we will surely see him brought on from the bench in the coming weeks, as he builds up his sharpness.