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Odegaard on hitting 15 goals, and wanting more

Martin Odegaard celebrates our win at Newcastle

Every home game, Martin Odegaard gives you his thoughts on the goings-on around the club in his captain’s notes for the matchday programme. 

Ahead of this afternoon's meeting with Brighton & Hove Albion, the skipper discusses his fine goalscoring form, how he's striving to find the net even more and the threat the Seagulls will pose us:

I was pleased to get some more goals in the last couple of games. Granit Xhaka did so well in the Chelsea game, and he gave me two great passes for my goals. As soon as I see Granit attack the space on his left side I always know he going to put the ball in. Then it’s just about me being in the right areas and trying to hit the target.

I was delighted with my goal at Newcastle too. It was my 15th goal of the season, and I’m pleased with that, but of course I want to score more. I never set myself targets at the start of the season, I just want to focus on what I can do, and that’s being in the right areas at the right time. I want to have the right mindset to be dangerous in the box.

It’s true I’ve been practising my finishing for a long time, so it’s good to see the work I’m putting in paying off in the matches. I think scoring goals should be part of my game anyway. Everyone wants to score goals but, as I’ve said many times, the main thing is to help the team. If that’s by scoring goals, then that’s great, but to assist and create chances is also good for the team.

That’s what I want to keep doing. I will carry on working like that and then I’m sure the goals and the assists will come. I can get a lot better with that too. This year I’ve missed so many big chances, so I could have scored a lot more goals. Also in the game against Newcastle, I should have scored another one just before half-time, so there’s still a lot to improve. Hopefully, I can keep scoring and get better at finishing along the way.

I know it has been a long time since we had two players score 15 in a season, and you look at Bukayo, Gabi Martinelli, Gabby Jesus, Eddie, Leo as well – we have more players taking responsibility, scoring goals and being important for the team.

Also there’s Reiss Nelson, and Granit too, who has scored more this season and is getting more assists. It’s important that it comes from all over the pitch, because that makes it hard for teams to play against us when we are more unpredictable.

We want to keep that going today against Brighton. They have a very good team, as we all know, and have been playing at a really high level all season. The way they play out from the back especially is very good. Also how they press – they are a very intense team and they play a lot of man-to-man as well.

It’s going to be a tricky game but playing at home in front of our supporters means hopefully you can help bring us through again.

Read the rest of Odegaard’s notes, as well as a host of other fantastic content, by buying a copy of the Arsenal v Brighton programme either around the stadium or online