Adrian Clarke was impressed with an aspect of Martin Zubimendi’s game against Nottingham Forest that wasn’t his goals.
Arsenal strolled to a 3-0 win over Forest on Saturday at the Emirates, courtesy of a brace from Zubimendi and a strike from Viktor Gyokeres.
The Spaniard gave the Gunners the lead in the 32nd minute, superbly guiding a volley into the back of the net after the East Midlanders cleared a corner.
He then doubled his tally for the season in the second half, rising excellently above Forest defenders to head home from Leandro Trossard’s cross.
Adrian Clarke was impressed with Martin Zubimendi’s mobility vs Nottingham Forest
Zubimendi was brilliant against Forest for Arsenal, running the show from midfield.
While he sat at the base of the Gunners’ midfield and dictated the tempo of the game with his metronomic passing, he also roamed forward and out wide at times, placing himself wherever he was needed for Mikel Arteta’s team on the pitch.
This roaming is what caught the eye of Arsenal pundit Clarke, who was impressed with how the player’s athleticism and intelligence allowed him to find himself in unconventional positions for a number six.
Gunners supporters have become accustomed to their defensive midfielder rarely venturing away from their designated area in front of the back four, but Zubimendi is certainly not restricted to this.
“I thought he was really mobile, effervescent, really bubbly, looking to get on the ball a lot,” Clarke said on his YouTube channel.
“He didn’t have to do a lot of work defensively. But what I wanted to pick out apart from the fact that we’ve suddenly got ourselves one of the best volleyers in the Premier League, what a goal that was by the way – unreal strike from him on the edge of the box.
“But what I think really stood out for me with Martin Zubimendi is that he didn’t stay in front of the back four. He didn’t just take it easy and get it off the centre-halves and look to probe from that position.
“He wanted to move around the pitch. And if he saw some chances to create numerical overloads in wider areas, he was more than happy to do it. And I think that’s a really really positive sign. Merino did the same on the left, but Zubimendi was particularly effective.
Martin Zubimendi is a breath of fresh air in Arsenal’s midfield
Arsenal signed Zubimendi for £55 million this summer, and he already looks to be something of a bargain at this price.
His predecessors, Thomas Partey and Jorginho, were largely limited to sitting directly in front of the Gunners’ centre-backs, never influencing the game higher up the pitch or in wide areas.
However, younger than these two players and significantly more athletic, Zubimendi has the ability to be more positionally flexible.
He is able to help the Gunners in other areas, often pushing into different positions, without the fear of leaving the middle of the park vacant as he has the physical ability to recover if needed.
This facet of his game has made him a breath of fresh air compared to the two players who came before him, who were at the latter stages of their career and something of a hindrance out of possession.
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