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Luton Town midfielder Ross Barkley has revealed that Arsenal star Martin Odegaard begged him to stop his direct runs at him on the ball in their recent encounter.
The Gunners locked horns with Rob Edwards' men in a seven-goal thriller at Kenilworth Road in the Premier League on December 6. Barkley had an impressive performance in the clash, scoring Luton's third goal to put them up 3-2 in the 57th minute. Kai Havertz equalized for Arsenal just three minutes later.
Declan Rice then found the match-winner in the seventh minute of stoppage time to secure all three points as the Gunners erupted into celebrations. The England international's header was set up by Odegaard.
During an interview with The Times, Barkley claimed that the Norwegian midfielder told him to stop running at him with the ball after the match. The former Chelsea man said (as quoted by Football365):
“Odegaard did say, ‘You have to stop running at me with the ball!'"
He added:
"Declan [Rice] is physical. Odegaard is less physical but world-class on the ball. When I had the ball, I knew I could move the ball away from him. Teams expect Luton to be more direct. With me, I try and bring calmness to the middle of the park, suck a few players in and give other players more time on the ball.”
Barkley has registered 11 Premier League appearances for Luton this season, with his strike against Arsenal being his first goal of the campaign.
"His confidence is growing" - Mikel Arteta hails Arsenal star's turn of form after Brighton win
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has lauded Kai Havertz for turning around his form despite his poor start to the campaign. The Spanish manager claims that the Germany international is more comfortable on the pitch and is starting to display confidence.
The Gunners signed Havertz from Chelsea in the summer for a reported £65 million fee. The versatile forward struggled initially but has recently seen a major improvement in his form, scoring against Luton, Brentford, and RC Lens in the UEFA Champions League.
He found the back of the net in Arsenal's 2-0 win over Brighton & Hove Albion earlier today (December 17) as well. When asked about the former Bayer Leverkusen star's recent developments, Arteta said in a post-match press conference (per the club's official website):
"His confidence is growing and he feels more secure on the field. The fact he’s scored one helped to score the second one. It’s four in seven games now and he should have scored a header today as well in a really good position. But overall, his performances, the intelligence he shows on the pitch, the aggression, how he works defensively, it’s top. Really good."
Arsenal lead the Premier League ahead of Liverpool's clash against Manchester United later today. They will next face the Reds at Anfield on December 23.
