“Really disgusting performance”, “I’ve seen non-league players are more creative than him”

Fans have raised the alarm on Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard following their 2-0 defeat to Newcastle United in the first leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final on Tuesday (January 7). Odegaard was far from his best in midfield and was unable to make a significant contribution in attack.

Alexander Isak scored the first goal for the Magpies in the 38th minute after being set up by Jacob Murphy. In the 51st minute, Anthony Gordon doubled the lead when he reacted to a rebound and fired his left-footed shot into the net.

Despite a total of 23 attempts on goal and 70% possession of the ball, the Gunners were unable to score. Newcastle, on the other hand, scored twice in their seven attempts.

During his time on the pitch, Odegaard had a passing accuracy of 89% (39/44). He lost possession 15 times and only registered 65 touches (via Sofascore).

After the game, fans at X expressed their disappointment with the Norwegian’s performance, tweeting:

“By the way, Odegaard was absolutely shit tonight. I didn’t expect this kind of performance from him. Really disgusting performance.”

“Odegaard is NOT good enough to be in this team, let alone captain the team,” another added.

“Odegaard looks like a completely different player without Saka. We need big investments in the summer (and ideally now) to improve our level,” said one fan.

“Odegaard needs to be relieved of his captaincy,” chimed in another.

“Captain Odegaard with another 1/10 performance. Our CBs were more dangerous to score than this sad idiot,” complained another.

“I have seen non-league players more creative than Odegaard,” wrote another.

How did Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice fare against Newcastle United?

Despite the defeat, Declan Rice was one of the Gunners’ standout players. The Englishman was exceptional in midfield and creative in attack.

Rice had a passing accuracy of 89% (48/54). He created three big chances and delivered five key passes. The Englishman also won five out of five ground duels and scored three successful dribbles in as many attempts (via Sofascore).

The Gunners will look to bounce back from a two-goal deficit in the second leg of their clash on February 5.

Arsenal face Manchester United in their next FA Cup game on Sunday (January 12).