Arsenal’s Zubimendi deal under scrutiny – was Stewart Robson right?

Before Martin Zubimendi had even pulled on a shirt at the Emirates, former Arsenal midfielder Stewart Robson had gone on record to say that he feared Arsenal had overpaid for the Spanish international and that Zubimendi wasn't dynamic enough. After three Premier League matches and a handful of pre-season games, we reflect on Robson's warning.

Arriving early in the summer transfer window for around £55 million, Martin Zubimendi has started all three of Arsenal's Premier League games in a holding midfield role.

Twelve defensive contributions at Old Trafford

Against United at Old Trafford, 'Zubi' started behind Martin Odegaard and Declan Rice. The opening day snatch and grab required a disciplined defensive job to be done and the new signing did his bit.

An overall match rating of 6.93 on whoscored.com reflected a performance in which the Spaniard had 57 touches (second only to Odegaard in the Arsenal team), a passing accuracy percentage of 86.7%, and made 3 tackles. In total, Zubimendi made 12 defensive contributions, as per fotmob.com.

Despite making 45 passes, none of them were key passes and only 3 of his passes were long balls. 16 passes were backwards passes (36%) and most of these were passes that relieved pressure. Contrary to Stewart Robson's claims, most of Zubi's passes were forward.

Zubemindi dictated the tempo against Leeds United

Arsenal's domination of the home match against Leeds was reflected in Zubimendi's touch map and passing statistics. The Spaniard had 95 touches in a midfield three that was unchanged, although Odegaard was replaced by Ethan Nwaneri before half-time which altered the dynamic somewhat.

Zubi's passing accuracy, it won't surprise the reader, was higher than at Old Trafford. At 89%, his passing was safe and kept the ball moving. Again, he made no key passes. 31 of his 81 passes were backwards passes (38%) which helped Arsenal retain possession but added little going forward. The Spaniard recorded his first shot of the season, a right-footed shot from outside of the area that went high over the crossbar.

In midfield, Zubimendi won 71% of duels including 100% of aerial duels. He added a further 8 defensive contributions to the 12 at Old Trafford. The reduced number is no surprise given how Arsenal dominated the match.

Liverpool reduced Zubimendi to just 50 touches

Last weekend, in the defeat to Liverpool, Zubimendi's performance was very similar to the one at United. He played more centrally and in a more disciplined fashion compare to in the home match against Leeds.

At Anfield, the Spaniard's touches reduced to just 50 touches, much less than the influential Declan Rice (75). Again, Zubimendi made zero key passes in the match, potentially suggesting that there is some substance in Stewart Robson's assessment of him as a player whose passes do not penetrate enough. Against Liverpool, Zubimendi's passing accuracy dropped to 83%, the lowest of the season so far.

Playing in the number six role, many would argue that Zubimendi needs to win his fair share of ground duels. Against Liverpool, he was found wanting in this aspect of his game. He won just 14% (1/7) of the ground duels that he was involved in, although he did win both of his aerial battles.

Stewart Robson may have a point, but...

Looking back at pre-season, it is clear that Zubi does possess a range of passing that can be used to dictate the tempo of matches that Arsenal are dominating. When he is unable to get on the ball his passing accuracy seems to take a nose-dive and the focus turns to his defensive contributions.

As Robson predicted, there is little to suggest that Zubimendi has the physical attributes to protect the back four in the defensive role that he has been allocated. He is not winning enough ground duels to be effective enough in that position.

To get the best out of him, Zubimendi needs to be dictating the play. Alternatively, when his side are up against it, he might be better deployed in front, or alongside, a second holding midfielder. It's clear that Stewart Robson had a point about Zubimendi's weaknesses, although it's far too early to make a judgement about Zubi's strengths and overall contribution to Arteta 2.0.