Three reasons why Real Madrid must trust Martin Ødegaard in 21/22

Profile: he could get the best out of Real’s attacking options

When you look at some of the players that Real has on their books and their subsequent struggles, Ødegaard could quite easily have been the key to unlock the door to a lot of those problems.

Amongst Real’s ranks are the likes of Vinicius Jr and Jovic, the former struggling to break into the team again and the latter finds himself on loan in Germany. When reviewing Ødegaard’s stats for the 19/20 season, 2 particular ones stand out – his through balls per 90 and his penalty box entries per 90.

Martin ranked second in LaLiga for through balls in 19/20, when you consider some of Real’s players that possess the pace to dart behind backlines, Ødegaard could very well have showcased this ability – which could have really aided Real. Even more so, when you consider just how badly Real struggle against sides who sit deep, a player capable of picking the lock? Martin Ødegaard.

His persistent ability to also look at playing chances into the penalty area could have been exactly what was needed to get the best of Luka Jovic. The Serbian could have seen much more service, given Ødegaard’s continual look to supply the ball into the penalty area.

Ultimately, Martin could certainly fix a lot of Real’s issues and provide a unique look, however, he just hasn’t received the opportunity to do so.