Arsenal would be ready to host their arch foes Tottenham Hotspur at the Emirates on September 24 at 6:30 PM IST. Both the teams have had an excellent start to the season, having mustered 13 points from their first five matches. It promises to be a fascinating clash in the north of London.
A duel which could define the match, should be the one between Tottenham’s James Maddison and Arsenal’s Martin Odegaard in midfield. Maddison has won the hearts of Spurs’ fans after joining the Lilywhites for a meagre sum of £40m in the summer of 2023.
The English international has two goals and two assists in merely five Premier League matches. The 26-year-old also bagged the ‘Premier League Player of the month’ award in August.
On the contrary, Odegaard has been a key figure in this up and coming Arsenal team. His link up play upfront and pressures high up the pitch are second to none. His 70 pressures in the final third are most by any player in the Arsenal jersey in the 2023-24 season.
The battle between these two will catch the eyes of many spectators. The better player in the upcoming blockbuster clash would certainly get the North London bragging rights.
H&H Sports compare these two midfield maestros to get a gist of what is there to come:
Based on the Fbref percentile of both players. It’s clear that they are performing equally in certain parameters such as ‘shot creating actions, expected assists and progressive passes’. Their performances of this season also justify their stats in the above mentioned metrics.
However, Odegaard is quite poor at tackles, with a percentile of just six.
Conversely, Maddison’s 79 percentile suggests that he could be of great help during defensive transitions against Gunners.
In terms of attack, Odegaard has a slight edge. The Norwegian’s progressive carries’ stats are more than double compared to his counterpart. Also, his non-penalty goals are also marginally higher.
Stats suggest that Odegaard could outperform Maddison in the attacking endeavors. Nonetheless, Maddison could be deadly if he brings his defensive attributes into play. The former Leicester midfielder would certainly try his best to end Spurs’ 13 year drought at the Emirates.
Comments