Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard scores winner as Arteta credits new role and fitness

Arsenal secured a 1-0 victory against Napoli in the Champions League on Wednesday, with captain Martin Odegaard scoring the decisive goal. The Norwegian midfielder has now recorded four goals in five matches across all competitions this season, a sharp increase from a single goal in the previous campaign.

Mikel Arteta highlighted Odegaard's improved availability and fitness as key factors in his recent form. > "First of all he needs to be available and last year he missed so many games through injuries," Arteta said after the match. He also noted that new on-field combinations have given the captain more freedom to occupy dangerous positions.

"He can start to go by different heights in the team, especially in the attacking phase, and when we get him into those positions he's a really dangerous player," Arteta added.

The manager pointed to the increased number of touches Odegaard makes in the opposition box – rising from 2.5 per 90 minutes last season to 4.3 this term – as evidence of his more aggressive positioning. Arteta credited teammates such as recent signing Christos Tzolis, whose assists have helped create several of Odegaard's goals, for facilitating this shift.

Arsenal's attack generated 26 shots, the highest tally in the competition since the 2003-04 season, and an expected-goals figure of 4.05, indicating the team could have been even more prolific. Nonetheless, Odegaard's goal, finished from the edge of the box after a sustained build-up, proved decisive.

"That's what we need. The players with the mindset to decide a game and play with personality," Arteta said. "He's getting into those positions much more in recent games and now you feel he has the emotional state that he knows the ball can go in, and he scored an incredible goal tonight."

The win reinforces Arsenal's belief that Odegaard's revitalised role is contributing directly to positive results.