Boma Achenimie 
Martin Odegaard has said that Arsenal’s end-of-season collapse will be ‘painful’ to him for the rest of his life.
Arsenal led the Premier League from the off, in what was a sensational season of improvement for the Gunners, only to see their title hopes evaporate at the business end of the season, picking up just 12 points from their last nine games.
The start of the downturn saw Arsenal draw three consecutive games in April against Liverpool, West Ham, and Southampton before then being beaten by title rivals and eventual champions Manchester City at the Etihad.
Mikel Arteta’s side would go on to also lose against Brighton and Nottingham Forest before the end of the season as they eventually finished five points off the top, and Arsenal skipper, Martin Odegaard admitted that the side’s downturn will be ‘painful’ for the rest of his life, and urged his teammates to use the disappointment as additional motivation.
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“It’s difficult, there are many things that come into play, of course,” he told Viaplay.
“We competed against the team that has won it all, it was tight, and even at the end, especially in the three games that Arsenal drew, we lost momentum.
“There are so many things that can affect the season, we were close and we must use the disappointment to go closer.
“I think this will bother me for the rest of my life. We were very close, I almost managed to achieve my dream, I think it will be painful for the rest of my life but we have to try again next year.”
Personally, it was a fine season for the Norwegian, who ended the season with 15 goals and 7 assists in 37 Premier League outings.
“This was a good season for me, I have delivered well and scored several goals,” he added.
“I have been more important to the team, it’s been good but of course a tough end to the season which still hurts. So I have mixed feelings.”
