Ahead of their Premier League match at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday, Martin Odegaard, the captain of the north London club, stated that Arsenal and Manchester City’s intense rivalry is a natural result of both sides’ ambition to be the greatest.
After finishing second to City in 2022–2023 and advancing to the last day of the Premier League title fight the previous season, Arsenal once again finished second to Pep Guardiola’s team.
When Odegaard and his Norwegian colleague Erling Haaland hurled the ball at Arsenal defender Gabriel Magalhaes and yelled at Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta, urging him to “remain humble,” tensions erupted during their most recent meeting in September.
“I think in football, games like this, the emotions are so high and the adrenaline is there and everything.
“That’s something that can happen on the pitch and then when you walk off the pitch, then you are done with it,” Odegaard told British media.
“It is not something I think too much about. I think it is normal when you play these big games that there is a big rivalry.
“You are competing and you want to be the best. So, that’s how it should be and there should be a little bit of heat sometimes.
“But then, I think a lot of the players know each other from the national team – England, Brazil, me with Erling – so on the pitch and off the pitch it is a bit different.
“When we are on the pitch, then it’s a good battle.”
With 41 points, City is in fourth place in the league rankings, while Arsenal, in second place with 47 points, is six points behind leaders Liverpool, who still have a game to go.
