Arsenal went into the break with a 3-0 win over Brentford and Martin Ødegaard missed the league tie against the Bees due to a calf injury.
This raised concerns over the attacking midfielder’s involvement with Norway for their two UEFA Nations League fixtures, but Ståle Solbakken insisted his captain would be available.
That’s exactly what happened as the Arsenal player started in his national team’s defeats against Slovenia and Serbia.
The latest one was at the Ullevål Stadion as Norway suffered a 2-0 defeat against Serbia, and the 22-year-old pointed out the reasons for this.
“We struggled to figure it out offensively. There was a bit too much tension in the team. We never quite got into the rhythm,” he said, as quoted by Dagbladet.
The Gunners star was not the only one to have struggled to shine for Norway this month. One of the reasons for his struggles could be the calf injury he picked up while training at the north London club.
Ødegaard was asked whether this hampered him when performing for Norway. Responding to that, Mikel Arteta’s man said: “That’s not good to say. I haven’t practiced as much football as I usually do. But I don’t blame it. I could do better anyway.”
“In the same way as the team, I have not been at my best. It’s a bit disappointing.”
