Owen Hargreaves and Martin Keown agree Arsenal player ‘quietly’ made everything happen vs Olympiacos

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Martin Odegaard was Arsenal’s deserved man of the match against Olympiacos, but one player‘s contribution fell under the radar.

Odegaard was in full flow against Olympiacos, ending his night with an assist in stoppage time to set up Bukayo Saka.

There were many positives for Mikel Arteta to take from his side’s second win of the Champions League campaign, some more obvious than others. 

As mentioned, Odegaard was unplayable, and David Raya blew many away with his save to deny Daniel Podence, but there was another player who was integral to the win. 

• READ MORE: Greek media say three Arsenal players stood out the most against Olympiacos

Owen Hargreaves and Martin Keown praise Martin Zubimendi after Arsenal’s win against Olympiacos

Sometimes, players work quietly to increase the noise of those around them, and that’s exactly what Martin Zubimendi did against Olympiacos. 

The midfielder’s strength in midfield allowed the likes of Odegaard to play with complete freedom.

Speaking to TNT Sports [22:07] after the game, pundits Martin Keown and Owen Hargreaves were eager to give a shout-out to Zubimendi. 

“The midfield looked really, really settled. Zubimendi now,” Keown said.

Hargreaves butted in to say, “Zubimendi was running the show, wasn’t he?”

The Arsenal legend then painted the picture of how the Spaniard so delicately dictated things in the middle of the park. 

“You know, quietly behind the scenes, he gets everything ticking, and Odegaard is the kind of icing on the cake for Arsenal.”

It wasn’t long ago that Keown noticed how Declan Rice and Zubimendi needed time to adapt, but now, the Gunners’ midfield looks to be really finding its feet. 

Zubimendi’s statistics against Olympiacos

It was interesting to hear Keown and Hargreaves’ praise of Zubimendi, who had an equally impressive game against Newcastle United. 

The narrative was the same, as the Spaniard’s presence wasn’t particularly loud, but held everything together for Arsenal.

Against Olympiacos, the summer signing did the same thing, starring brightly when it came to his distribution.

Zubimendi completed more passes than any player in 90 minutes, as well as recording as many as nine successful long-balls.

The midfielder is becoming Arteta’s metronome in the middle of the park, making it no surprise that those around him in the central areas are flourishing. 

It was another top performance from the 26-year-old, who is already making a name for himself in North London.