Martin Odegaard admits Arsenal defended deeper than they initially planned in their goalless draw against Manchester City on Sunday.
Arsenal delivered a solid defensive display to earn a point at the Etihad Stadium as City failed to score at home in the Premier League for the first time in 76 games.
But at the other end of the pitch, Arsenal’s chances in front of goal were also limited as City restricted the Gunners to counter-attacking opportunities.
The stalemate at the Etihad means Liverpool go two points clear of Arsenal at the top of the Premier League after their win over Brighton earlier on Sunday, while City sit third and three points behind Jurgen Klopp’s side.
Asked if he felt Arsenal could have been more adventurous against City, Odegaard told Premier League Productions: ‘That’s the feeling we have also
‘We feel like we could’ve done a bit better with the ball and keep it. Especially when you win it and it’s so important the first one or two passes to take that first pressure off and get control of the game.
‘But when you run so much and defend… I feel like we defended deep a bit more than we planned, so you win the ball and you’re tired, so it’s really hard.
‘But today we couldn’t do it, I agree it’s a step we can take in the future.’
Asked if he is happy with a point against City, Odegaard said: ‘Yeah, I think we’re a bit disappointed to be honest.
‘We wanted to win, we feel like we could’ve done better in certain areas.
‘It’s mixed feelings, it’s a tough place to come, if you look at the game last season and everything that happened in the last few times we come here it’s a good point, but we could’ve done better.’
