While Mikel Arteta will be delighted with his Arsenal team after they saw off Chelsea at the Emirates on Sunday afternoon in the Premier League, the Gunners boss may have come away feeling concerned about one specific player and area of the pitch.
The North Londoners narrowly edged past the Blues, relying on two set-piece goals to claim all three points in what was a cagey game in N5. William Saliba’s header gave Arsenal the lead before Piero Hincapie’s unfortunate own goal levelled things up just before the break.
The Gunners found a way to win, capitalising on a weak piece of goalkeeping from Robert Sanchez with 24 minutes left on the clock, as Jurrien Timber rose highest to nod home from Declan Rice’s sensational corner. The result leaves the league leaders five points clear of Manchester City, who still have a game in hand.
Martin Zubimendi is struggling for Arsenal
Since arriving at Arsenal for £55 million in the summer, Martin Zubimendi has been excellent. The Spaniard has seamlessly slotted into the Gunners’ system, dictating build-up from deep, breaking up opposition attacks effectively and occasionally popping up in the final third to get on the end of moves.
However, things haven’t gone as smoothly for Zubimendi in recent weeks. The 27-year-old was culpable for Manchester United’s opening goal at the Emirates in January, gifting the ball to Bryan Mbeumo, who subsequently found himself one-on-one with David Raya. He then almost replicated this error with a sloppy back pass to Arsenal’s number one on Sunday against Chelsea.
These uncharacteristic mistakes are a symptom of the midfielder being physically and mentally overburdened, and it’s no surprise. Zubimendi has played more minutes across all competitions than any other outfield Arsenal player this season.
Against Chelsea, the Euro 2024 winner’s passing was sloppy, while he struggled to impose himself on the game from a physical standpoint. Rice was eventually hooked for Christian Norgaard due to injury, but if Arteta hadn’t been forced into this change, then it wouldn’t have been a shock if Zubimendi had been sacrificed for the Dane at some point instead.
Completing just 21 passes in 90 minutes, it was an afternoon to forget for Arsenal’s normally metronomic number six.
| Martin Zubimendi’s Statistics vs Chelsea | |
| Minutes Played | 90 |
| Touches | 33 |
| Shots | 1 |
| Passes into the Final Third | 6 |
| Key Passes | 0 |
| Accurate Passes | 21/26 (81%) |
| Defensive Contributions | 7 |
| Tackles | 3 |
Martin Zubimendi shouldn’t start for Arsenal against Brighton
The games keep coming thick and fast. Arsenal travel to Brighton on Wednesday, in what will be another stern test for Arteta’s men.
Given the number of important fixtures that are fast approaching, the Gunners’ manager should contemplate resting some key players on the south coast, including Zubimendi. If Arsenal aren’t careful, they risk burning the former Real Sociedad man out.
While Brighton are a competent side, the North Londoners should be able to navigate the task at hand without Zubimendi. Fabian Hurzeler’s outfit will press high, and this should create space for the Gunners in forward areas if they’re able to elude this pressure.
While Zubimendi’s ability to evade a high press would be useful, preserving his long-term durability is more important.
Martin Zubimendi, take a bow! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/D3l40oTIvY
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) September 13, 2025
Midfield is a problem area for Arsenal at the moment
Arsenal have a deep squad and an abundance of talent across the pitch, although they are starting to look stretched in the middle of the park. Mikel Merino is out for the season, Ethan Nwaneri is on loan at Marseille, while both Martin Odegaard and Kai Havertz continue to struggle with injury.
These absences have meant that Arteta has had to overplay Rice and Zubimendi, which appears to be catching up on the duo. The former is a doubt for the clash with Brighton, while, as alluded to throughout this article, the latter has looked visibly exhausted in recent matches.
Arteta needs to trust Norgaard to come in and play some meaningful minutes, otherwise the starting pair may struggle to see out the season at their best level. The ex-Brentford captain has impressed in his limited cameos and cup appearances, and should be entrusted to start a Premier League game against mid-table opposition like Brighton.
In a more rogue suggestion for Arteta, Myles Lewis-Skelly could be used as a midfielder at some point in the run-in to help ease the burden on Zubimendi and Rice.
