“Any team in the world would miss this guy" - Martin Odegaard heaps praise on 'brilliant' Arsenal teammate after 0-0 draw against Man City

Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard has heaped praise on his teammate William Saliba following their 0-0 draw against Manchester City in the Premier League on Sunday, March 31.

It was a clash that fans and pundits alike considered a turning point for the Premier League title race. Both teams battled well, but were unable to provide a moment of quality to open the scoring.

The Gunners' defense, particularly the centre-back pairing of Gabriel and William Saliba, was essential in preventing the formidable City offense from scoring.

Captain Martin Odegaard singled out Saliba for appreciation, praising his performances in defense. He said, during a post-match interview (via TBR Football):

“Any team in the world would miss this guy. You see the quality he has on and off the ball, so I am glad he is fit now. Brilliant player and brilliant performance again today."

Odegaard also raised the issues Arsenal faced against Manchester City, stating after the game:

“We had to defend a lot, a lot more than we planned to. We were dangerous in certain moments when we had the counters, but it is hard to keep the ball and build when you have defended for so long. Your legs are heavy. In the moments we managed to take the ball and get forward we looked dangerous and could have even won it at the end."

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Arsenal show they can handle Premier League title race pressure as they hold Manchester City to draw

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is confident that his team can handle the stress of contending for the Premier League crown. This confidence comes from the Gunners' performance against City. Even though they only had 27% of the ball, they were able to restrict the reigning champions to very few opportunities.

Speaking after the game, Mikel Arteta applauded his team's recent progress, but stressed the need for further development (via Daily Mail):

"We are improving, we are competing better and we are understanding how to compete in these games. There's another step to make to win championships and that's that you have to win. Today we were able to draw and we have to improve a lot still to win."

Arteta added:

"The downside is that we had some situations to score. We didn't make the most out of it. I think the next step is to have the composure with the ball."

The draw with City has made a big difference in the Premier League standings, giving Liverpool a two-point advantage over Arsenal in the race. City are third in the standings, three points behind the Reds.