There’s Norwegian word, koselig, that can’t be directly translated into English. Roughly, it means cosy; a space, person or anything that has a warm, lovely feeling. The Dutch have a word for this too: gezellig. Though the spelling and pronunciations are different, we see a clear relationship between the words.
The Netherlands and Norway are very different in many aspects, but their people’s penchant for having that feeling emulates across borders. Norwegian footballer Martin Ødegaard may vouch for the fact that life in the Netherlands is often cosy, as he has definitely settled in during his near two-year spell in the country.
Profile
Martin Ødegaard was regarded as one of the greatest Nordic talents of this century when he burst onto the scene at 15 years of age. Norwegian club Stromsgodset knew they had a gem on their hands when the likes of Ajax, Liverpool, and Real Madrid came knocking on the door to inquire about the creative Ødegaard. He became an overnight sensation and, in 2015, moved to Madrid for an economical fee of €2.8 million.
To this day, Ødegaard has made only two appearances for Real Madrid’s first team. Two years went by until the Norway international was allowed to leave on loan. SC Heerenveen picked up his services for a season and a half before he returned to Madrid last summer. However, Ødegaard was sent back to the Netherlands for this season, except this time to loan-familiar club Vitesse Arnhem.
Ødegaard’s time in the Netherlands has been successful thus far. Although the goals never came for him in Friesland, his spell at Vitesse has been much more productive. Finally, the underlying statistics are beginning to pierce through the noticeable stat lines; his seven goals and six assists highlight his dual scoring/creative abilities.
To those who remember, the highlight videos of the 15-year-old Martin Ødegaard presented an intelligent creative talent, able to spot a complex pass from the corner of his eye. Now, five years on, he has become a well-rounded player, physically, technically, and versatility-wise. Ødegaard can still pick out a pass from near-impossible angles, dribble past two defenders, or cut onto his left and rocket a shot at goal. Additionally, his physicality, speed, and defensive ability often go unnoticed but will be highlighted in this piece.
Role at Vitesse
When Russian manager Leonid Slutsky joined Vitesse at the beginning of the season, the task of replacing Mason Mount loomed large. The loanee from Chelsea was extremely effective in Arnhem, using his technical ability to facilitate play and score crucial goals. Now, after the acquisition of Ødegaard to replace the Englishman, Slutsky has no doubts over his solution’s abilities. I dont know exactly what kind of club would be good for Martin,” said the Vitesse manager, “but hes 100% ready for another level.”
It is Ødegaard’s creative talents that will help him succeed at the next level. For Vitesse, he is often positioned as a right-sided midfielder, although the position he plays is adaptable to whatever scenario he finds himself in. Vyacheslav Karavaev, Vitesse’s Russian right-back, can be found careening forward down the touchline.
Slutsky’s preferred midfield duo — Thulani Serero and Matus Bero — act as a double pivot. These two factors mean that the right-wing position is therefore often covered, while the attacking midfield zone is not. Ødegaard is the perfect player to slip into the gap.
A player of such pure ability such as Martin Ødegaard is so effective out on a flank because he can create space for himself on the ball, not just off it. Vitesse, relative to other Eredivisie outfits, like to pass the ball short, dribble less, and take lots of shots at goal.
Ødegaard provides a release valve; someone who is able to take his time on the ball, not rush a shot, and make a risky pass when he feels it to be required. This change of pace has helped Vitesse create some chances that they would not have without the Norwegian, and his fluid positioning means he can get the ball pretty much anywhere on the pitch.
Dribbling
Ødegaard is similar to other inverted wingers (think David Neres) in the sense that he cuts inside on his preferred left foot. However, relative to other elite Eredivisie wingers, he doesn’t dribble at a very high rate. He dribbles less than 3.5 times per 90 minutes, much less than the likes of Steven Bergwijn and Brandley Kuwas. However, Ødegaard has one of the most elite success percentages in dribbling at 74%.
Part of the reason behind this extremely high percentage of take-on success is Ødegaard’s superb technical ability. He often favours his left foot but varies his dribbling enough to be unpredictable. The dribbles also occur all over the pitch, so many of his dribbles are under less pressure than those in and around the box.
Another reason Martin Ødegaard completes three-quarters of his dribbles is his low number of attempts. As seen on the scatter plot of fellow Eredivisie right-wingers, there is an inverse relationship between the number of take-ons and take-on success. This means that if Ødegaard attempted twice as many dribbles per 90, he would more than likely see his success decrease quite a bit.
But this is, in my opinion, more of a positive than a negative. The Norwegian knows his strengths and weaknesses and, although dribbling is definitely a strength, he doesn’t try to do too much when he doesn’t perceive it to be beneficial. This makes Ødegaard effective both inside and outside the box because he has the flair to beat players and score a goal coupled with the wherewithal to retreat and pass to a teammate when necessary.
