Mikel Arteta told Arsenal summer signing needs ‘support’ in ‘difficult moment’ | Football

Martin Keown says Martin Zubimendi goes through a ‘difficult moment’ in his debut season with Arsenal and certain ‘needs’ support from team-mates and fans.

Zubimendi accomplished £56million move from Real Sociedad to Arsenal in the summertime transfer window, with weighty expectations placed on the midfielder, who had also been linked with Liverpool and Real Madrid.

The 27-year-old quickly settled into life within the Premier League and was held up as one in all the signings of the season during a powerful begin to his Gunners profession.

Nevertheless, Zubimendi has struggled to have the identical impact because the campaign has worn on and the Spain international has didn’t register a goal or an assist in his last nine appearances within the Premier League.

The Euro 2024 winner stays an ever-present in Mikel Arteta’s side, though, starting all but one in all Arsenal’s 34 games in the highest flight, with only 4 matches remaining of the club’s title charge.

After Arsenal ground out a nervy 1-0 win over Newcastle to reclaim top spot on the weekend, Manchester United legend Gary Neville said he had been left dissatisfied by Zubimendi’s recent form.

‘I assumed at first of the season that Zubimendi was an ideal signing,’ Neville said on his Sky Sports podcast.

‘He’s been a great player for Arsenal but right away I used to be expecting that this could be where Zubimendi can be the player. Who’s going to be the difference player?

‘I assumed [Viktor] Gyokeres would get the goals for them in the massive moments and get to 2-0. His lack of quality at the top was poor on that counter-attack. He’s got to do higher than that.

‘But I assumed… you think that of what [Andrea] Pirlo is, or [Paul] Scholes or Rodri, Bernardo Silva – the player who can dictate play in a game like this, get Arsenal on the ball, organise and get them with authority and he [Zubimendi] is just not demonstrating that.

‘He’s struggling within the games and he has been for a number of weeks now. [Martin] Odegaard does it higher.

‘Odegaard went deeper, but the issue is when Odegaard goes deeper, [Declan] Rice then goes deeper and Zubimendi is already deep. Then you definitely’ve got three players, or definitely two in deep areas.

‘You possibly can’t have that. You would like them to be rotating with one another, and you wish one back there to link play with the defence and the full-backs.

‘It felt to me today that Zubimendi, Rice and Odegaard got outplayed by that Newcastle midfield.’

Giving his thoughts on talkSPORT two days on from Arsenal’s edgy victory on the Emirates, Keown compared Zubimendi’s form with the eye-catching performances that Eberechi Eze had been producing.

‘The situation Arsenal are in is normal. It’s never easy to be a team that doesn’t win it after successive years. It’s 22 years for Arsenal, 26 years for Manchester United, 44 years for Manchester City,’ the ex-Arsenal and England defender said.

‘We are able to still hear “[Sergio] Aguero!”, within the commentary due to what it meant on the day that they tripped up against QPR.

‘These nerves are there, it’s natural. I just thought, on the weekend, Eberechi Eze, how he handled those nerves, I believe he’s an example to everyone within the team, how he’s loving the situation.

‘I used to be stunned by the naivety of Arsenal, not recognising, “Okay, we’re all marking contained in the box but that’s not the player we want to select up”, and there have been two early corners that was an indication to that.

‘His finish was magnificent. You consider his progression in the sport, he’s 27 years of age, Arsenal didn’t want him, rejected him… his path to this level, he’s having fun with the moment and embracing it. That must be the attitude.

Keown continued: ‘I believe I’d contrast that with Zubimendi. He’s played loads of games, it’s a difficult moment for him, but these are the players you support.

‘The result does the trick, it gives you that tonic, it makes you think that you may keep going.

It’s been like climbing Mount Everest here. We have now 4 games to go where Arsenal are top of the Premier League and within the semi-finals of the Champions League, and there’s a crisis in every single place, every week. Forget all of the noise and begin to show up, begin to play.

‘It was very nice to see [Bukayo] Saka back out on the pitch again because all of the connections were back.

Keown expects there to be many more twists and turns on this yr’s compelling title race between Arsenal and Manchester City, who sit three points adrift but have a game in hand over the Gunners.

‘I don’t think they are going to and I don’t think we must be underestimating a few of these games,’ Keown, who won three Premier League titles with Arsenal, went on.

‘We don’t even know when the games for Manchester City will likely be played since the FA Cup final comes per week before the top of the season and that’s a determining factor.’

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