Captains come in different shapes and sizes and, while Martin Odegaard is too fresh-faced to be a warrior in the Tony Adams mould, Arsenal’s players are still happy to follow him into the trenches.
After patchy form during the first half of the season, Mikel Arteta’s side have begun 2024 with five straight league wins in which they have banged in 21 goals. Could they do it on a wet and windy afternoon in Burnley? Odegaard made sure they could by scoring the opening goal — his first in 13 games — and then controlling the tempo for the remaining 86 minutes.