Joe Cole: You Can't Help but Love Watching Him Play

Arsenal beat Napoli 1-0 away from home, with captain Martin Odegaard scoring the winning goal again. Former England international Joe Cole said after the match, “you can’t help but love him” when watching Odegaard play.

A piece of magic from the edge of the box

The match was played in Naples, and the deadlock was broken by Odegaard. He created a key opportunity from the edge of the penalty area, helping Mikel Arteta’s team take all three points away from home.

In his post-match comments for TNT Sports, Joe Cole made no secret of his admiration for the Arsenal captain. He said Odegaard had taken full responsibility at the start of the season and was controlling Arsenal’s tempo in the final third with maturity.

“Everything revolves around Martin Odegaard. He can stand still and find space. He is at the peak of his form, and he is a joy to watch. Watching him play, you can’t help but love him,” Joe Cole said.

Arteta: He once again played a decisive role

Arsenal manager Arteta also responded to Joe Cole’s comments at the post-match press conference. He was pleased with his captain’s performance, while also believing the team should have defeated the opponent more comfortably.

“Martin is contributing with goals that affect the outcome of matches, and that is exactly what we want to see from attacking players — making a decisive impact, and he did that again today,” Arteta said.

“Considering the number of chances we created, we should have finished the match in another way.”

Four goals in five matches, continuing to create decisive moments

This goal against Napoli means Odegaard has already scored four goals in the first five matches across all competitions. Just four days earlier, he had scored the winning goal against Chelsea.

So far this season, Odegaard has created decisive moments against Manchester City, Coventry, Chelsea and Napoli, with his goals having a direct impact on Arsenal’s results.

Arsenal’s goal is to defend their Premier League title while making further progress in the Champions League. The team hopes the captain can maintain this excellent form.