How Martin Zubimendi Arsenal can transform and declan rice can unleash

Martin Zubimendi could be the midfield piece that unlocks the rest of Arsenal.

The 26-year-old has reportedly agreed to join the Gunners in a transmission of £ 50 million this summer, after he made a move to Liverpool a year ago.

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Zubimendi is a long -term objective for Mikel Arteta given its impressive versions for Real Sociedad.

And it is assumed that he could enter into the perfect collaboration with Declan Rice in the middle.

But how could he transform the team as a whole?

Sunsport has looked at the top characteristics of the midfielder.

Control space

When Rice signed for a huge fee from West Ham, there was a feeling that Arsenal signed the next top defending midfielder to sit at the foot of their midfield for years to come.

That was a wrong profiling and a misunderstanding about what rice is as a player.

He is at best when he can play in a more progressive and box-to-box roll, drive ahead and influence the game.

The club then drew Mikel Merino to sit behind rice and allow him to become this version of itself, but it turned out that Merino was not the type to sit and control.

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That is why the potential signing of Zubimendi is very logical.

Zubimendi is a Spanish international midfielder who checks the game both in and out.

He is comfortable as a lonely six at the base of midfield, even though he may be substandard for that role, or as a defensive eight in a midfield of two men and he controls space.

His reading of the game and the ability to respond to a threat and quickly close over larger spaces enables his teams to be larger in terms of pressing higher on the field.

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We see this defending this as Real Sociedad in a 4-4-2 block. The front two steps and give the man in possession time and he can split them with a pass to the next level.

It is Zubimendi who first responds to this threat and jumps to press and involve the player who receives the ball.

Having a player who can defend in space in this way and who has the defensive discipline to control large space would help Arsenal to open up the full potential of both Rice and Martin Odegaard, who can then play more freely as advanced central midfielders with Zubimendi behind them.

As a result, Arsenal could also play in higher positions because they have the defensive security at the foot of midfield.

However, to be effective in this way, Zubimendi must be effective in winning duels.

He can be closed and involved quickly, but he also wants to immediately put pressure on the ball and win it high and early.

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Above we see Zubimendi moving quickly to deal with the ball and close the space. This time he does higher on the field, so that his team can be placed higher.

The signing of Zubimendi would bring a profile that Arsenal is missing in their midfield.

Pace

When they are in the possession phase, Arsenal also miss a sitting midfielder who can control the pace and focus of their attack.

They still have Jorginho in their team as a player who fits the profile, but his decreasing athletic and physical profile means that Arteta does not trust him in larger competitions or moments. This is another part of the game where Zubimendi offers a remarkable value to Arsenal.

Although he is a midfielder who can contribute very effectively in the defensive phase, he still has the opportunity to receive and play quickly.

He falls routinely back to the central defenders to receive the ball in the build -up game. He can get his own goal with pressure behind and play minimal accents.

However, he can also play higher and he takes the ball routinely and spreads the game around the base of midfield.

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Above we see an example with Zubimendi in possession at the foot of midfield while the opposition is deeper. He has the opportunity to play driven passes in the block to find teammates, but he can also play longer switches to change the perspective of the attack.

Although Arsenal has two of the best central defenders in the world in William Saliba and Gabriel, it is fair to say that neither is the most comfortable when it comes to playing and moving the ball.

This means that Arsenal must have a deep midfielder who can do this effectively. Zubimendi can be the midfield player to control the space and pace of the attack.

The presence of a midfielder who can control the game from deeper positions would be the key to have Arsenal dictated in the last third part.

For example, if they were able to play Odegaard higher in the field, this would create space in the wide spaces for Bukayo Saka because the opposition could not double him.

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Here too we see Zubimendi in possession of the ball at the foot of midfield. He does not force the game central and instead is able to find the next best action to play the ball and play in the broad area.

When we see Zubimendi moving to Arsenal, he expects that he will soon become one of the most prominent players for the Gunners. He will regularly be a player who achieves most accents for the team and becomes the player who organizes the game.

Hurt the opposition

Zubimendi is not only able to control the game in and out, but is also a midfielder who can harm the opposition.

This does not mean its possession with its tackling capacity, but with his assets on the ball in the last third part.

Zubimendi can drive the game with good decisions to move the ball and find the free man, but he also has the opportunity to play more aggressive forward passes to break the border and move the ball to the last third.

One of the most interesting aspects of Zubimendi’s game is his ability to change the pace at which he plays.

He has a great sense of the game with the possibility of playing slower when Arsenal is higher and wants to check the match against a team in a high block.

But at more transition moments, when the opposition is not well organized against the ball, he can play quickly and more aggressively.

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Here, in a more open position when the opposition is not in a deep form and defends, we see Zubimendi the ball and immediately break the last line with a forward pass to let go of a teammate on goal.

For a team that, both in midfield, in Rice and Odegaard, and from broad areas, in Gabriel Martinelli and Saka, has a player who can read a player who can read the game and understand when he should become more aggressively on the ball and when the opposition’s pass would be extremely useful.

Below we see Zubimendi taking the ball in deeper areas before we play aggressively to push it through the line of defense and let go of a teammate who makes a run from outside.

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Signing a player like Zubimendi would unlock all other parts of the team that have been built so far under this project led by Arteta.

Conclusion

It is fair to say that Liverpool makes very few mistakes when it comes to recruitment and they were extremely aggressive in their pursuit of Zubimendi.

In the end they naturally won the competition so that it worked well for them.

Their loss could, however, be Arsenal’s profit, because the signing of Zubimendi can bring the Gunners to the next level this summer.