David Seaman criticized Mikel Arteta for his unexpected choice to substitute captain Martin Odegaard during Arsenal’s loss to Manchester United, stating that the quadruple changes ‘disrupted’ the team’s rhythm.
After initially leading the Premier League match at the Emirates Stadium thanks to an own goal by Lisandro Martinez, Arsenal found themselves trailing when United capitalized on Bryan Mbeumo‘s opportunistic goal.
Under caretaker manager Michael Carrick, United flipped the script when Patrick Dorgu netted an impressive goal shortly before Arteta decided to make significant substitutions, bringing on Eberechi Eze, Viktor Gyokeres, Mikel Merino, and Ben White.
Odegaard was among those taken off, a move that Seaman deemed ‘strange’ as it upset the team’s dynamics. The Gunners managed to score an equalizer in the 84th minute through Merino, but United swiftly responded with a winning goal from Matheus Cunha.
In his remarks about Arteta’s decisions, Seaman expressed surprise on Premier League Productions, saying, ‘It felt like a knee-jerk reaction after conceding. This shift created tension in the crowd.’ He specifically noted that taking off the captain altered the team’s setup.
Former Manchester United player Owen Hargreaves also disagreed with Odegaard’s substitution, pointing out that while Eze is a talented dribbler, he lacks the vision to distribute passes like Odegaard does. ‘Odegaard’s body language showed he was caught off guard by the decision,’ Hargreaves remarked.
After the disappointing outcome, Odegaard acknowledged the need for improvement, stating, “We started strong, but we must analyze our performance and learn from it.” He emphasized the importance of unity going forward, reminding that staying at the top means they need to rebound quickly.
