Mikel Arteta has admitted it was a ‘tactical decision’ to hook Martin Odegaard midway through Arsenal’s 0-0 draw with Everton on Saturday.
It was a move that raised eyebrows inside the Emirates Stadium and on social media, given Odegaard’s creative threat.
Declan Rice had been taken off at the same time, with their replacements failing to make the desired impact.
Arsenal had been frustrated by a resilient Everton backline but had failed to find a breakthrough, with Arteta turning to Ethan Nwaneri in search of a winning goal.
The gamble didn’t pay off. Everton held firm and denied the title hopefuls of a winning goal, meaning the gap between Arsenal and leaders Liverpool remains six points.
Speaking in his post-match debrief, Arteta explained the double substitution, saying: “With Declan I had to take him off because he was feeling something. With Martin it was a tactical decision to try to change their rhythm.
“If Ethan comes in and he scores a goal, it’s a great sub. If he doesn’t, you have taken your captain out. That’s football.”
On his side’s overall performance, Arteta added: “Very disappointing not to win the game. We fully deserved to win the game. We conceded no shots. We dominated play. When we generated big chances we didn’t score a goal.”
When asked if Everton being afforded extra time on the training ground because of Arsenal’s European commitments made a difference, he said: “No. It doesn’t matter. Look at the intensity of what we generated in the second half. [Frustrating] especially when we concede zero [chances] and dominate the game so much.”
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