“He never seems too rushed and he is very comfortable on the ball” – Garth Crooks heaps praise on ‘cultured’ Arsenal star

BBC pundit and former Tottenham Hotspur forward Garth Crooks has praised Arsenal and Norway skipper Martin Odegaard.

Odegaard enjoyed an excellent outing for the Gunners during their Premier League match against AFC Bournemouth on August 21. The midfielder scored an 11-minute brace in the first half to put his side on their way to an eventual 3-0 victory at the Vitality Stadium.

Aside from finding the back of the net twice, Odegaard also pulled all the strings in midfield for Arsenal. The Norwegian ended the game against Bournemouth with one successful dribble, four duels won, two accurate long balls and a pass completion rate of 81%.

His excellent performance saw him make it into Crooks' 'Team of the Week' for the BBC as part of a midfield four in a 3-4-3 system. Joining him in the middle of the park was Manchester City's Bernardo Silva.

Praising Odegaard for his 'cultured' approach in midfield, Crooks wrote (via the BBC):

"There is something rather cultured about Odegaard's game. He never seems too rushed and he is very comfortable on the ball. His second goal against Bournemouth was considerably better than his first even though both his goals were created by the brilliantly rejuvenated Gabriel Jesus."

The Englishman went on to laud the Norway international for his leadership style, stating:

"Mikel Arteta has made a good choice in appointing Odegaard has his new club captain. The calm and unexcitable Norwegian seems to have a very different temperament to the likes of the recently departed Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang or Granit Xhaka.

"Both of whom have worn the captain's armband in the past but not, I'm afraid, with any distinction."

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Arsenal will look to continue winning run against Fulham

Having kicked off the new Premier League season with three wins from three matches, Arsenal will take on Fulham at the Emirates on August 27. The Cottagers are unbeaten so far in their first season back in the top flight with a win and two draws from three matches.

Arteta's men are currently top of the league standings, two points clear of second-placed Manchester City. They have scored nine goals and conceded just twice. Fulham, meanwhile, are seventh with five goals scored and four conceded.

The two teams last met in the Premier League in April 2021 at the Emirates. Josh Maja seemed to have set the visitors on their way to victory with his 59th-minute goal. However, Eddie Nketiah equalized for Arsenal in the seventh minute of added time.