Martin Zubimendi would probably be the first to admit he’s been out of form for Arsenal in the last few weeks.
The Spanish international was at fault as the Gunners lost to Bournemouth last weekend and in the main, he’s looked a shadow of the player we saw in the opening few months of the campaign.
Nevertheless, Zubimendi was among a number of Arsenal players to put in a dogged performance in midweek to see off Sporting Lisbon and now, the midfielder has been rewarded for that display.
Martin Zubimendi named Arsenal’s only player in Champions League team of the week
Teams of the week can often be subjective and in the main, players are likely to take these things with a pinch of salt.
However, in Martin Zubimendi’s case, any boost to the confidence he has in his game can only be a positive.
Indeed, the official Champions League social media account has put Zubimendi in its starting XI for the week. Zubimendi is the only Arsenal player selected, with Bayern Munich the most dominant team with three players included.
Atletico Madrid also have two players involved after getting past Barcelona, while PSG duo Marquinhos and Ousmane Dembele are also given the nod after their win over Liverpool.
Could Atletico Madrid suit Martin Zubimendi in the semi-finals?
Given he has most of his career experience in La Liga, Zubimendi will know full well what Diego Simeone’s team are going to bring to the plate.
In a way, that could work in his favour, with the pressure off the Spaniard in terms of having to adapt to what’s in front of him.
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Zubimendi has played time and again against this Atletico team and has performed well, enough to prompt Arsenal to spend big money on him last summer.
Like a number of Arsenal players, Zubimendi needs to find his best again in what is the most crucial point of the season so far.
If he can do that, and Arsenal win the league, then this small dip in form will be long forgotten.
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