Defeat against Manchester United at Emirates Stadium highlighted some major flaws in the leaders. Without change, their best chance to win the Premier League titie in 22 years could pass them by.
Declan Rice should be Arsenal captain, not Martin Ødegaard. Rice is a more natural on-field leader, the more ruthless competitor and the more likely to impose himself more effectively on opponents. Ødegaard is a fine role model for Arsenal, more of a club captain, and undeniably represents them well.
Arsenal’s board and marketing department must love the clean-cut, well-spoken Norwegian. But Arsenal need a warrior not an ambassador as they fight to stay ahead in the Premier League title race. I’ve argued this point with Arsenal beat reporters on TV debate shows this season. I’ve discussed this sensitive subject with Arsenal season-ticket holders, including going into Sunday’s game with Manchester United at the Emirates. I appreciate how many respect Ødegaard and consider any desire to strip the thoughtful, likeable No. 8 of the armband and hand it to another 27-year-old as simply the blind backing of someone who’s known Rice since his early West Ham United days, and who covers England. I spoke privately to Rice at an awards ceremony last month and he knows how big 2026 could be for him for club and country. I have never seen him looking so lean, hungry and determined. Rice is a team man and 100% behind Ødegaard but the subject needs to be broached.players and staff were consulted in pre-season on who should be captain. The overwhelming verdict was Ødegaard. “By a mile,” the manager Mikel Arteta said at the time, “by a big, big 100 miles, everybody is choosing the same person, which is Martin Ødegaard.” Well, that’s pretty emphatic and also pretty emblematic of the club. Too nice. Crunch time is no time for worrying about wounded pride. Arsenal cannot waste this moment. They have to seize this opportunity to end 22 years of hurt in theIn Ødegaard’s defence it needs stating that he is also captain of Norway and his current lack of impact at Arsenal may partly be down to Arteta’s slightly cautious system limiting him. Ødegaard is undeniably a clever technical player. He briefly showed that at the Emirates when flicking a ball under pressure perfectly to Rice and also in delivering the ball towards Jurriën Timber that Lisandro Martínez turned in for an own goal. Ødegaard also does his fair share of pressing.Ødegaard watches Declan Rice take the majority of set pieces. | Visionhaus/Getty Images But let’s talk numbers. How much is Ødegaard truly contributing? He has scored one goal for Arsenal this season, in a 2-1 home win over Brighton & Hove Albion, and made five assists in 22 appearances. In mitigation, Ødegaard has been hampered by shoulder and knee injuries. He has less input into dead-balls with Rice on free-kicks and Rice and Bukayo Saka on corners. Arteta himself has made some strong decisions about Ødegaard recently. When Arsenal needed a leader and inspiration most, Arteta withdrew his captain. The stats tell a significant story. Ødegaard has not played a full 90 minutes in 2026. He was replaced by Mikel Merino with 10 minutes remaining against Bournemouth and Arsenal looking to protect their 3-2 lead .. Ødegaard came on for Ethan Nwaneri after 69 minutes with Arsenal in control of their FA Cup tie at Portsmouth. Some Arsenal fans would have liked Nwaneri to have stayed and compete with Ødegaard for the No. 10 inside-right role. Arteta sent the 18-year-old out on loan to Marseille. That makes sense. Nwaneri is still developing and a spell under the inspiring Roberto De Zerbi will accentuate his game. His maturity will be accelerated by living away from home.Arteta still keeps taking off Ødegaard. Merino came on for Arteta’s captain midway through the second half of a tight Carabao Cup semi-final first leg against Chelsea. On it went, the curtailed involvements: Ødegaard was replaced by Merino after 57 minutes with Arsenal failing to break down relegation-threatened Nottingham Forest .Milan at San Siro. He was replaced by another 27-year-old Eberechi Eze after 58 minutes with Arsenal trailing Sunday’s game with United. In fairness to Ødegaard, Eze didn’t do much. But if Arteta is harbouring doubts about Ødegaard—and subbing him—then Eze surely deserves a run. He’s a confidence player. He needs to feel the belief of a manager who backs him and starts him. That’s how to bring the best out of Eze as Oliver Glasner did at Crystal Palace before his £60 million summer It’s the same with his England teammate, Kobbie Mainoo, at United. Michael Carrick has filled Mainoo with confidence again. He was considering leaving his boyhood club under Ruben Amorim. Then Carrick stepped in, restored Mainoo’s belief, restored him to the team and the 20-year-old has responded with outstanding performances against Manchester City and now Arsenal.Eberechi Eze has shown flashes of brilliance at Arsenal—but not enough. | Alex Burstow/Arsenal FC/Getty Images Arteta has to do similar with Eze. He looks slightly in awe of his new surroundings. Eze grew up an Arsenal fan, has spoken of feeling emotionally overwhelmed at joining the club he loves, and looks to be wondering whether he truly belongs there. He does. Eze has the ability. He still has five goals and four assists in 28 appearances despite not showing anything like his Palace best. He just needs the love. He also needs starts. Some want Eze to play off the left, bringing something different to Leandro Trossard. Eze can play there, and that would allow Arteta to accommodate him and Ødegaard. But, really, Eze needs to be the focal point, at 10, and given a run in Ødegaard’s place. Eze is not the only Arsenal fan with an important part to play in helping them stay clear of City and Aston Villa. The crowd have to be more supportive. Heading into Emirates on Sunday was to enter a world of nerves. There was the small knot of Ashburton Army kids in their black T-shirts doing their best to whip up the atmosphere from their base behind the goal at the North Bank. Their drums and chants provide some positivity. But still the air is too often filled with sighs and shouts to get upfield, and moans at the referee. It’s tense. Some fans left early.The atmosphere at the Emirates is often filled with tension. | Alex Burstow/Arsenal FC/Getty Images Personally, and this is not a popular viewpoint, I feel that the pre-match song—North London Forever—can slow the mood. It’s a beautiful ballad, and eloquent homage to the area, but far from rousing (and it’s effectively includingThe tension is understandable in a way. I was on radio at half-time, discussing the atmosphere with a former Arsenal title-winning player, Perry Groves, a diehard Gooner, and he made the entirely legitimate point that the nervousness was rooted in desperate hope. Arsenal fans have been waiting since 2004 for the title. Their expectations have been enhanced by further investment in the squad by the Kroenke family. Their dreams were given further substance by the form of many of their players in the first half of the season. When ex-pro pundits compiled their mid-term all-star XI, many had at least three players in: Timber, Gabriel and Rice., the FA Cup or League Cup. It’s all about the Premier League—being the best in England. I live some of the time in the area and my neighbours’ lives revolve around what’s going on in the stadium within earshot. Arsenal fans feel so close to the title. They crave it being their year. So any setback triggers doubts. Many rush to the fans’ channels or social media and pour out all their pain and fears. They frequently get mocked by fans of other clubs for such meltdowns.fans never turned on the players or manager. There were occasional moans, occasional pops on social media, but on the whole any criticism was directed at the regime, Glazers and INEOS. Arsenal need to feel their unconditional love from their support. Banish the fear, give Eze a chance and give the defiant Rice the armband.Henry Winter has been voted the UK’s Football Writer of the Year seven times, has covered nine World Cups, written for The Independent, Telegraph and London Times, and is a Ballon d’Or judge. He captained the England media team until losing the dressing-room in Kazakhstan.
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