Arsenal have the unenviable job of trying to usurp Manchester Metropolis on the high of the Premier League in 2024/25.
With Pep Guardiola probably having fun with his final rodeo in Manchester subsequent season, the marketing campaign is an important one from a legacy perspective for Mikel Arteta. This might be the Spaniard’s last probability to tear down the empire he performed a small position in forging.
This can be a good Arsenal crew, one which has come inside a whisker of profitable the league title in back-to-back seasons. Their beginning XI is as robust as anybody’s on the continent and a concerted effort has been made to supply Arteta with extra dependable depth choices in current home windows. Nonetheless, if Arsenal are to go one higher subsequent season, the Gunners require the ultimate items of the jigsaw.
Arteta has to date averted forking out on his frontline after Kai Havertz loved a stellar finish to 2023/24. There’s additionally hope that Gabriel Martinelli will bounce-back from a disappointing marketing campaign final day out. Thus, the membership’s attentions this summer time switch window have to date centered on the acquisition of a left-sided defender – Riccardo Calafiori – and a central midfielder.
Arsenal have been linked with a number of midfield names, however none intrigue greater than Paris Saint Germain’s Fabian Ruiz off the again of his sensational Euro 2024. Whomever the membership purchase will probably be anticipated to work in tandem with captain Martin Odegaard and here is how Spain’s current hero Fabian stacks up in opposition to the majestic Norwegian playmaker.
Odegaard’s position in north London has advanced significantly since he first joined the membership. Final season, the Arsenal captain took on better accountability in deeper areas of the pitch as he now not merely operated as a playmaker in and across the field. He performed a key position in Arsenal’s build-up play and helped them progress up the pitch.
In 2023/24, Odegaard tried (58.5) and accomplished (49.3) extra passes per 90 minutes within the Premier League in comparison with another season since arriving at Arsenal. His go completion was regular at 84.3% and 91.4% for brief passes tried between 5 and 15 yards. Odegaard definitely confirmed indicators of maturation in his deeper position, additionally manifesting his potential to trip challenges and bypass strain. He was dispossessed 1.69 instances per 90 minutes within the league.
Nonetheless, any midfielder has their work minimize out when competing in opposition to a Spaniard on the ball retention entrance. Given PSG’s superiority over the remainder of Ligue 1, Fabian’s numbers are inflated considerably as PSG have the ball seemingly on a regular basis. The Spaniard is a grasp conductor, nonetheless, and his work at Euro 2024 introduced out his perfect on the retaining entrance, particularly within the last in opposition to England.
Fabian is ever so cool within the face of strain. He is in a position to make use of delicate feints and shimmies to outwit onrushing defenders and retain possession. His extra aggressive midfield position for Luis Enrique final season meant his passing numbers had been down considerably, however he nonetheless tried 65.6 passes per 90 in Ligue 1 at successful fee of 89.2%.
Fabian was additionally dispossessed simply 0.23 instances per 90 final season. You simply cannot get the ball off him.
Whereas many characterise Fabian as a box-to-box eight, the overwhelming majority would classify Odegaard as a bona fide quantity 10 who’s solely lately advanced right into a participant able to affecting each part.
The Arsenal captain and PSG midfielder try and undermine deep-lying defences in their very own approach. Odegaard is the heartbeat of this Gunners outfit and is nearly all the time on the ball in and across the field. He combines beautifully down the correct with Bukayo Saka and Ben White and is able to pulling off moments of off-the-cuff genius to create a gap.
The Norwegian can unlock defences with a intelligent backheel, pinpoint through-ball or magic ft in tight areas. He is a assorted creator and his left foot is elegant.
Odegaard racked up ten Premier League assists final season and recorded a whopping 6.41 shot-creating actions per 90 – the best of his Arsenal profession.
Fabian, quite the opposite, is not a pure help supplier however he is a greater penetrator of area than Odegaard. He does not examine to the Arsenal man as a playmaker, however he is glorious at making darting runs via the left half-space and accessing the gaps inside an opponent’s defensive construction.
The Spaniard’s highest single-season help tally is six. He averaged 3.01 shot-creating actions per 90 in Ligue 1 final season and has solely come near matching Odegaard’s SCA haul from final season as soon as (5.78 in the course of the 2018/19 Serie A season with Napoli).
There are some similarities on the goalscoring entrance, with each gamers boasting pretty left ft able to beating goalkeepers from distance. At Napoli, Fabian scored large objectives from the sting of the opposition’s field – most memorably in opposition to Lazio away from residence in February 2022.
Odegaard has additionally scored essential objectives at enormous moments, with the Arsenal skipper netting loads of his objectives from an analogous zone having acquired a cut-back cross. Whereas Fabian is extra of a drilled finisher from vary, Odegaard likes to whip throughout the ball.
The Norwegian maestro is a way more pure finisher and has been a dependable buyer in entrance of purpose in recent times. Fabian has scored simply 4 Ligue 1 objectives since becoming a member of PSG two years in the past. In that time-frame, Odegaard has struck 23 instances within the Premier League. The slick Scandinavian operator has additionally by no means completed a season having underperformed his anticipated objectives, whereas Fabian has on two separate events (2019/20 and 2023/24).
However, his strikes at Euro 2024 after crashing the field recommend Fabian would take pleasure in a substantial uptick on the scoring entrance ought to he assume the left-sided eight position in north London.
You possibly can’t be a top-level midfielder at the present time with out excelling out of possession. As soon as a precocious 10 from a bygone period, Odegaard has ensured he hasn’t gone down the paths of Mesut Ozil and James Rodriguez, as an alternative creating right into a do-it-all playmaker who’s no legal responsibility with out the ball.
Odegaard is a relentless operator defensively. He usually leads Arsenal’s suffocating 4-4-2 press from the entrance, having the tough job of stopping the opponent’s holding midfielder from receiving possession all whereas working his socks off to win the ball as excessive up the pitch as doable. In reality, the numbers do not do Odegaard’s defensive output justice. He is a crucial a part of one of many world’s greatest groups with out possession.
Fabian is a extra imposing determine than Odegaard and does most of his duelling in the course of the park. He is a wily operator defensively and unsurprisingly places up extra spectacular defensive numbers. The Spaniard recorded a mixed 3.38 tackles and interceptions per 90 in Ligue 1 final season in comparison with Odegaard’s 1.92 within the Premier League.
If Fabian had been to hitch Arsenal, he’d sit within the midfield pivot alongside Declan Rice out of possession with Odegaard persevering with his position because the press chief.
