Mikel Arteta has secret Arsenal weapon in title race that Liverpool will be terrified of

As journalists we spend our lives analysing football in granular detail. Sometimes, though, it really is a very simple game.

Without their most creative player, Arsenal have lacked a creative spark. With him back in the side against Chelsea, suddenly it didn't look as much of a problem.

There's probably another piece to be done on the wisdom of the squad planning decisions that left Arsenal so exposed by the Norwegian's absence. This is not that though. Instead we're going to look at why Odegaard is so important for the Gunners, and why his return could swing the title race back in their favour.

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Arsenal have been superb from set pieces yet again this season, but away from dead ball situations, they've been way off it. Excluding the Carabao Cup win over Preston, the Gunners have scored just three times in six matches from open play since the last international break.

Last week's 1-0 defeat to Inter Milan was a prime example of these issues. Arsenal actually played quite well at the San Siro, but after falling behind to a contentious penalty they struggled to break down a resolute Nerazzurri deep block.

It's exactly against these kind of tightly packed defences that Odegaard comes alive. According to Opta the Norwegian averaged more touches per 90 in zone 14 (the area of the pitch just in front of the penalty area) than any of his teammates last season with 5.3. Declan Rice and Thomas Partey have tried to step into the role as part of the 4-4-2 set up Arteta has employed to cope with Odegaard's absence, but the pair have managed just 2.9 and 3.8 zone 14 touches per game respectively.

Without Odegaard's central presence in Milan, Arsenal funnelled the ball out wide - a lot. In fact, if you take away the rollercoaster that was the 3-2 win over Bournemouth in 2023, Arsenal's total of 33 crosses from open play was the most they had managed in a match since a 2-1 defeat to Wolves in 2020 - a game made infamous for Arteta's declaration that it was "pure maths" that his side would start scoring goals if they kept just pumping balls into the area.

With Odegaard back in the side against Chelsea, that number more than halved to 13. Admittedly, Arsenal didn't spend as much time in the final third at Stamford Bridge as they did at the San Siro, but there was far more purpose to their attack. Their goal was a prime example of this as Odegaard cut through the heart of the Chelsea back line with quick and incisive play to assist Gabriel Martinelli.

Over on the other flank Bukayo Saka is also set to be a beneficiary of Odegaard's return. The England international has put up some superb numbers this season. Only Cole Palmer, Mohamed Salah and Erling Haaland have more goals and assists. With Odegaard in the side things could be about to get even better though.

The pair's link up is often symbiotic. If you take away defenders, then no two players passed to each other more often last season except for Rodri and Matteo Kovacic. This season Thomas Partey is the player who has given Saka the ball most often. The Ghanaian is capable of a defence-splitting pass himself, but having played as a defensive midfielder or right back this season, he has tended to give Saka the ball in deeper areas where he cannot do as much damage.

It is remarkable that Saka has been so effective in the final third without his wingman. With Odegaard giving him the ball closer to the goal though, he should be able to do even more damage. The pair only combined 10 times at Stamford Bridge, but history dictates they will be linking up again to devastating effect sooner rather than later.

Odegaard is also essential to the work Arsenal do off the ball. The 25-year-old is often the trigger for the press and helped win the ball back time and again on Sunday as Arsenal looked to take advantage of Chelsea's shaky playing from the back. The Gunners made five recoveries in the attacking third of the pitch at Stamford Bridge. Odegaard was responsible for three of them.

Arsenal have looked something of a busted flush in recent weeks going forward. With Odegaard back Arteta once again has his trump card to play. The most terrifying thing about his performance at Chelsea for the rest of the Premier League is that the Norwegian is not even close to full fitness yet.

"I don’t know another player that is capable of [playing 90 minutes to that standard] after six weeks out," Arteta said after the game. "He had a day-and-a-half to be able to do that. Just how physically and mentally connected he was with the team it was unbelievable."

Odegaard will now go off with Norway to get more crucial minutes into his legs. Arteta will have his fingers and toes crossed that his captain can come through unscathed this time. Without him Arsenal have lost crucial ground in the title race. The hope now will be that it's not too late for him to save the day.