Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard has reflected on losing the Premier League title to champions Manchester City last season.
Even though it was painful, the Norwegian believes the team has and keeps drawing inspiration from it.
Arsenal led the table for the majority of the last season and seemed poised to clinch the title after establishing an eight-point lead over Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City.
However, their title aspirations crumbled following a string of poor performances. Odegaard acknowledged the team’s disappointment at failing to secure the championship but believes that the pain can serve as motivation for their quest to capture the title this year.
“What we went through was something good for the team to progress and to grow, It was painful but if you use it in a good way it can help you so hopefully that is what we can do this year,” he said.
Talking about their chances of going all the way this season, the captain added that the heartbreak suffered last season and the addition of new players have seen them mature over the year and also got them stronger this season.
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“I see a more matured team, I think we’ve learned a lot from what happened last season and obviously it was a really tough end for everyone at the club and I think we have used that in a good way and I feel we are a lot stronger this year obviously some new players coming in as well and bringing in some quality,” he added.
The Gunners climbed back to the top of the table after beating Luton Town 2-0 on Wednesday night and are hoping to maintain their position.