Martin Zubimendi’s ‘unthinkable’ dressing room admission is going to be key for Arsenal

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Arsenal midfielder Martin Zubimendi has been generating a lot of attention over the October international break.

The Spaniard is one of several Arsenal players on international duty right now.

During the break, the midfielder has been a talking point, with Luis de la Fuente insisting that Zubimendi is underrated.

It’s not only his manager who has been talking, as Zubimendi took part in an interview with Spanish outlet EL MUNDO to talk all things Arsenal and the upcoming World Cup. 

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Martin Zubimendi doesn’t want to talk about Spain’s chances at the World Cup

During the interview, Zubimendi was asked about what he thinks of Spain being the favourites to win the World Cup.

The Arsenal star made it clear that the topic wasn’t something he wanted to entertain.

“I understand that they can put Spain up there for what we’ve been doing, but I don’t know, it’s just that talking about it here in the locker room, I don’t know what it can lead to,” Zubimendi began.

“I don’t understand the benefits that saying we’re good, or that we can win the World Cup, can give us, so well, here inside we take it very naturally, and I think that’s the way.” 

The 26-year-old was then asked whether the dressing room discusses how good they are, which also prompted the midfielder to shut down the narrative of Spain being the favourites.

“It feels strange to me to talk all the time about how good we are,” he said.

“I don’t know, it’s not something that happens in the locker room. We don’t talk about how good we are in the locker room. It’s unthinkable. It’s not part of the conversation, to be honest.”

Arsenal need Zubimendi’s composure in the dressing room

Zubimendi wasn’t going to give away how he feels about Spain’s chances at the World Cup, but what he did give away is how crucial his presence and experiences will be to Arsenal.

Arsenal need to win silverware this season, having finished runners-up for the previous three Premier League campaigns. 

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Many are starting to believe that Arsenal can win the Premier League this season, but the last thing the squad needs is to feed into the topic of being title favourites. 

As seen over 2022/23, 2023/24 and 2024/25, Arsenal can be good and still miss out on the top spot to Manchester City and Liverpool, two squads who will be eyeing the title this year. 

Man City and Liverpool both have a squad brimming with players who have won the Premier League, experience that the Arsenal squad is lacking, which is why Zubimendi will be critical. 

As per his interview, the Spaniard clearly knows how much media pressure can impact a squad hunting glory, choosing to dim the noise and focus on the task at hand.

The approach is exactly what Arsenal need, as Arteta’s squad need to discard praise as they do criticism and focus on the campaign match by match.

Players like Zubimendi, who have experience of being in a squad full of superstars, will be crucial to steering the feeling in the dressing room in the right direction.