‘We were harshly done by’ – but how much have Arsenal missed Odegaard?

In Milan on Wednesday, Arsenal braved another disappointing defeat in what is turning out to be a difficult season for the Gunners.

After three games without winning in the Premier League, they are now seven points clear of Liverpool’s leaders in terms of title challenge.

And now, their impressive European form has been hampered by Inter’s defeat in their first Champions League game of the year at the San Siro.

They will understandably feel disappointed that their second-half display was insufficient for a spirited display, with a controversial penalty on the hour of half-time being decisive.

Arsenal’s Mikel Merino was punished for handball, despite there being little he could do to get out of the way of a flick-on from a corner.

The decision, however, also irritated Gunners boss Mikel Arteta because he also believed Inter goalkeeper Yann Sommer had punched Merino when he attempted to take a cross.

“We were very harshly done by in the sense that is obvious – both penalties”, Arteta told TNT Sports.

The other person must be because he punches him in the head if you’re going to give a penalty.

Moments before half-time, when Mehdi Taremi’s flick on from a corner struck Merino on the hand, was the turning point.

Referees have opted not to award “soft penalties” from this season onwards, which perhaps would not have been a decision in the Premier League.

” Our approach regarding handball, there’s only a slight change and tweak into where we’re going with that, “former referee Kevin Friend revealed ahead of the season.

” We saw some soft penalties last season for handball. We’re basically looking for instances where the ball intentionally hits the arm unjustifiably, with hands above the head, or with the body intentionally preventing it from entering the box or scoring.

That differs from rules in Uefa competitions, and that variation left pundits frustrated on Wednesday.

Martin Keown, a former Arsenal defender, said on TNT Sports, “Is the arm in an unnatural position?” It isn’t. That discussion is ruinsing the game once more.

“It is fine margins, I don’t believe it is a penalty. The unnatural rule, who is making those rules? Have they played the game”?

Matt Upson, an ex-Gunners defender, said on BBC Radio 5 live, “It does my head in how that law is applied in Europe.

The referees in the Premier League are far ahead of that because they are aware of proximity, ball speed, and other factors that tick, tick.

“It is just a bit of common sense”.

Former Arsenal player Theo Walcott cited the incident involving Merino and Sommer at the other end of the pitch as saying, “Merino gets in a good position and [Yann] Sommer physically punches him.”

The decision to award the decisive penalty will cause fury in Arsenal fans, but it also extends a worrying run of statistics:

Despite the defeat, there were still some encouraging signs that the Gunners would soon end this frustrating run of form.

In the second half, Kai Havertz was by far the better team, being denied twice by Sommer’s outstanding save and his superb block in front of goal.

There was also the return of Martin Odegaard. The captain of Arsenal has been sidelined since the end of August with an ankle injury, but he started in stoppage time.

Although his introduction was too late to affect the match’s outcome, it suggests that the midfielder will be more active in Chelsea’s crucial Premier League game on Sunday.

Arsenal would be without a creative spark without Odegaard. 46 crosses were fired into the box against Inter, but none of them worked.

They also made 20 shots in the match, which is the most they have never scored in a Champions League game since November 2006 when they defeated CSKA Moscow 23-23.

Rio Ferdinand, a former Manchester United defender, said: “It’s very frustrating because we have 46 crosses, which is the second-most in the Champions League this season, but the creativity and imagination aren’t there.

“Odegaard has that little bit of imagination. Too frequently, without any prior notice, it was tucked into the box.