Martin Odegaard was meant to save Arsenal's season - but Gunners' captain's struggles without Bukayo Saka sum up the biggest issues within Mikel Arteta's squad

Odegaard is obviously a tremendous talent. Less than a year ago, he was being touted as the best attacking midfielder in the Premier League.

"Right now, Odegaard is the number one," former England international Jamie Redknapp argued on Sky Sports. "Normally, you'd say Kevin De Bruyne is the best, and not just in the Premier League, but in the world. But something isn't quite right with him and he's not playing as many games as he'd like.

"Odegaard, though, has this thing which all great players possess: it's like time stands still when he has the ball. He's the captain, he's the leader. When he hasn't got the ball, he goes and gets it back. He's leading that Arsenal team."

Not anymore, though. Or, at least, not with the same efficacy or conviction as before.

Odegaard's importance within Arsenal's emergence as a major Premier League force over the past few seasons cannot be questioned. With his intensive pressing and pinpoint passing, he is integral to everything the Gunners do in the final third of the field, both in and out of possession - which explains why he was so sorely missed during his two-month spell on the sidelines earlier this season with an ankle injury picked up on international duty.

Arsenal played seven Premier League games without their skipper, and dropped points in four of them, suffering their only two defeats of the 2024-25 campaign to date, away to Bournemouth and Newcastle.

When he finally returned to action in November, all appeared well in Arsenal's world for a short while, with Odegaard registering assists in his first two games back, against Chelsea and Nottingham Forest, before then opening his account for the season against West Ham. However, that penalty at the London Stadium on November 30 remains Odegaard's most recent goal involvement in a Premier League fixture - which, in spite of everything else he brings to the party, is just not good enough for such a gifted attacking midfielder.

Obviously, Odegaard suffers from not having a genuinely world-class striker ahead of him. So much of his fine work often goes to waste. He's also been hindered more than most by the loss of Bukayo Saka to injury.

Odegaard's on-field relationship with the winger is extremely productive - but also seemingly co-dependent. Take one of the two out of the starting line-up and it looks like that neither man is capable of performing to their usual level.

"There could be an element of that," Arteta acknowledged on Tuesday. "It's inevitable to think when you have such chemistry with a player and you're not together next to each other, you’re going to notice that something is different.

"But Martin came back from an injury and, in the first week or two, you have that extra energy, and then you play every three days. He was ill as well for over a week and that plays a part, so there are a lot of circumstances."

Indeed, Odegaard was struggling to exert his usual influence over games even before Saka was sidelined with a hamstring injury last month.

Arsenal's dynamic duo started the Premier League clash with Everton on December 14, but even though Arsenal were in dire need of a moment of inspiration, Odegaard, their creator-in-chief, was hauled off midway through the second half.

"It was a tactical decision to try to change the rhythm," Arteta said afterwards, "especially on that side of the pitch." The stark implication was that Odegaard wasn't offering the kind of pace, poise or penetration that Arsenal required to win the game. It's been a recurring issue for the 26-year-old this term and yet it's gone unnoticed for the most part.

Phil Foden, for example, has copped far more flak for his dramatic dip in form for Manchester City, but he's still created more chances in the Premier League this season than Odegaard - despite starting fewer matches.

It's also interesting that for all the questioning of Bruno Fernandes' captaincy credentials at Manchester United, he looked more like a real leader at the Emirates on Sunday than Odegaard, who missed a glorious chance to win the game for Arsenal from the penalty spot.

Of course, anyone can squander a spot-kick and, in a way, the FA Cup loss to United provided some grounds for optimism on Odegaard, who created a staggering 10 chances at the Emirates - the most by a Premier League player in any game this season - which would again suggest that he's being let down by those around him. Certainly, Kai Havertz, Leandro Trossard, Gabriel Martinelli and Raheem Sterling have failed dismally to carry a consistent goal threat this season, while Mikel Merino has underwhelmed for the most part and Declan Rice offers very little from an offensive perspective.

In that context, it was devastating for Arsenal - and Odegaard - to lose not only Saka for an extended period of time, but also Jesus just when it appeared that the bumbling Brazilian might actually be capable of chipping in with some goals during the second half of the campaign.

However, Odegaard has been nowhere near his best for the past two months - Chelsea's Enzo Fernandez (24) has created more chances in the Premier League since the Norway international's return to action in November - and his stats at the Emirates need to be put into context, given Arsenal played against 10 men for an hour of a game that went to extra-time.

Let's not forget either that the role of a captain is to inspire, to step up to the mark when team-mates are toiling and be a difference-maker in the matches that matter most. Odegaard's not been delivering in that regard and Arsenal's season is in danger of unravelling as a result.

Odegaard can't be held accountable for Arsenal's bizarre refusal to sign a world-class striker. Nor is he responsible for the very noticeable change in tactical approach at the Emirates.

For all the talk about the devastating impact of injuries, even when Arsenal are at full-strength they're no longer playing with the same fluidity or freedom as before, and have become worryingly dependent upon set-pieces to score goals. There is a negativity and cynicism about Arsenal now that just wasn't there during their first title challenge, in 2022-23, and the manager needs to accept his share of the blame for the noticeable and damaging shift in strategy.

Odegaard shouldn't be exempt from criticism, though. If he really wants to be recognised as the best attacking midfielder in the Premier League, he is going to have to prove it by actually leading his team to the title.

There is, then, an onus on Odegaard to drag his team through this most difficult of periods, because if this season has taught us anything about Arsenal, it's that there is a direct correlation between their form and that of their captain. Basically, if Odegaard doesn't wake up on Wednesday, it's unlikely Arsenal will either.