I think the current conversation around Odegaard isn’t really representative of what’s happening. I don’t actually think he’s in particularly bad form. His shooting hasn’t been good but he also overperformed here last season, so regression is expected. He’s given possession away cheaply a few times but occasionally did that last season too.

I’d argue that our inability to be technically secure enough as a team to create sustained pressure means that we’re just not spending a lot of time in a game state that suits his strengths. And the problem here is that when we’re not compressed in the opposition 3rd where he’s sitting in the pockets, he offers little else beyond his decent pressing. It’s the same thing with Jorginho and Zinny, they both like controlled game states and suffer without it, but none of these three are particularly good at helping the team to regain that game state when we lose it (at least zinny and Jorginho can try via 1st phase buildup, an option Odegaard doesn’t have).

Like we see Kai as a tactical choice to play a certain way, Odegaard must be viewed the same. He’s not a “fits every style” type player like Saliba, Rice and Saka are. But when the game suits him, he’s unbelievably good