Martin Odegaard has used his captain’s notes in Arsenal’s matchday programme to reflect on last weekend’s 4-1 derby win at Tottenham and to frame Chelsea’s visit as another high-level test, with the captain praising Eberechi Eze and Viktor Gyokeres for driving the response.
Before every home game, Odegaard offers a short window into Arsenal’s mood through his captain’s notes, published in the matchday programme and shared on the Club’s official channels. Ahead of Chelsea’s latest trip to the Emirates, the themes were clear: Arsenal’s satisfaction at a statement derby win, and an insistence that it counts for little unless the standard is repeated again.
Odegaard noted the emotional lift of a north London derby win, and the wider meaning it carries inside the group. “I heard it was 70 years since we last won four games in a row away to Tottenham, so we should be proud as a group to be involved in a run like this at the moment,” he wrote. “We know what the game means to our supporters, so this is massive for us, it’s a great stat for us to have!”
Eze praise, and why it mattered beyond the goals
The captain singled out Eze after the midfielder scored twice in the 4-1 win, emphasising performance as much as end product. “What a day it was for Ebs! His stats against them are just crazy now,” Odegaard wrote. “To get a hat-trick in his first north London derby and then two more last weekend is just unbelievable, and I know he scored a couple against them last season too.”
Odegaard added, “But even not including the goals, I thought his overall performance was great. He played really well and really deserved those goals. We were all so happy for him.”
Arsenal have found different match-winners at different points this season, and Odegaard’s notes suggested a dressing room keen to keep rewarding strong performances rather than waiting for perfect games.
Gyokeres, confidence, and the value beyond finishing
Gyokeres also received a lengthy mention, framed around confidence and the striker’s wider contribution. “Vik as well scored two more goals and in fairness he has been playing that way for a while now,” Odegaard wrote. “As a striker I know he loves to get the goals, and that gives him even more confidence and a different feeling on the pitch, but I think he’s been great the whole time.”
He continued: “You can really see that now with the goals coming more and more often, but also what he gives us on the pitch apart from the goals is massive. He’s doing really well and again we’re all happy for him.”
Gyokeres celebrates scoring their fourth goal against Tottenham REUTERS/David KleinTurning to Chelsea
Chelsea are not an unfamiliar opponent. Arsenal have already seen them twice in the League Cup semi-final, progressing 4-2 on aggregate after a 1-0 second-leg win at the Emirates. Odegaard’s matchday notes point to that familiarity, but also to the fact that matches between the sides can look very different depending on approach.
For Arsenal, Sunday is about carrying derby intensity into a different kind of game. The captain’s notes read like a reminder that last weekend’s standards must become repeatable. Odegaard’s praise for Eze and Gyokeres was warm, but the underlying message was practical: Arsenal have momentum, a buoyant dressing room and match-winners in form. The next job is proving it again, this time in front of a home crowd against another London rival.