Martin Odegaard has urged his Arsenal teammates to ‘stick together’ after the Gunners’ Champions League hopes took a brutal blow against Crystal Palace on Monday evening. Aiming to reclaim fourth in the table from north London rivals Tottenham Hotspur, Mikel Arteta’s men were blown away at Selhurst Park.
Goals from Jean-Philippe Mateta, Jordan Ayew and Wilfried Zaha sealed an emphatic victory for the Eagles - a result that hugely damages the Gunners’ top four hopes. They now sit fifth in the current standings on goal difference - albeit with a game in-hand.
However, Odegaard has appealed to his side to not let the embarrassment at Selhurst Park take their focus on their long-term targets for the remainder of the season and has called on them to bounce back sooner rather than later.
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Speaking with Arsenal’s official website after full-time, the Norwegian said: "We have to make sure it's not [damaging].
"It's only one game so we have to make sure the next one we're on the level we're supposed to be at. One bad game can happen but we have to make sure it's only one and strike back and that starts tomorrow at the training ground. We have to look forward.
"We're all disappointed, obviously. It was a hard one for us to take. We've played really, really good lately and had so many good games. This one was hard for us. We're going to make sure it doesn't happen again.
"I think it's up to everybody to stick together. It's easy to stick together when we're winning and doing well, so we'll stick together and fight to win the next game."
Arsenal will certainly be hoping to get back on track this weekend as they face Brighton & Hove Albion in the Premier League - a game that represents an excellent opportunity for three points, particularly with the likes of to-four rivals Chelsea, Manchester United, West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur set to come between now and the end of the campaign.
