As Arsenal laboured to a 2-0 loss in the Carabao Cup final at the hands of Manchester City, a number of reasons were to blame for such a dismal performance under the Wembley arch.
While Kepa Arrizabalaga's error was one of the deciding moments, it did not help that the Gunners were missing Martin Odegaard and Eberechi Eze through injury.
Couple that with Bukayo Saka's poor form and with the fatigue of key players like Declan Rice and Martin Zubimendi and it felt like a recipe for failure.
Saka-Trossard-Arsenal
That said, the fact that they lost and the way in which they suffered defeat was certainly surprising. No matter the obstacle, no matter the problem thrown at Mikel Arteta's team this term, they have traditionally found a way to get over the line. Yet, in their biggest game of 2025/26 to date, they fell at the first hurdle in their bid to win a plethora of major trophies.
While Arteta is unlikely to rip up the playbook after the international break, Sunday's defeat did indicate that a few things need to change, primarily the midfield.
Why Martin Zubimendi needs to be dropped
When Arsenal moved to sign Zubimendi from Real Sociedad in the summer, it was a deal that was met with huge excitement, largely because they'd beaten Liverpool to his signature.
Zubimendi-Arsenal
In the infancy of his Arsenal career, he looked like an incredible pick-up. This was the player that Spain had chosen as Rodri's understudy, a player who has actually even usurped him as his nation's number 6.
He looked every bit a fabulous player early doors, notably introducing himself with two cracking goals against Nottingham Forest last September.
The Spaniard was not brought to score goals, but it was a sign of a player who ticked a lot of boxes. Zubimendi is not a bulldozer of a player in the middle of the park. He does lack the same physicality and bite that his partner Rice has, but what he lacks in that department he more than makes up for in composure, passing ability and decision making.
Well, so we thought anyway. The longer the campaign has played out, the poorer Zubimendi's performances have become. Should we be surprised, though?
He's started 30 of the 31 Premier League games they have played, featuring for a grand total of 3,575 minutes across all competitions. That's more minutes than any outfield player at the club. He looks knackered, which is no great shock.
Minutes played by Arsenal players - 2025/26
Player
1) David Raya
2) Martin Zubimendi
3) Declan Rice
4) Jurrien Timber
5) William Saliba
6) Gabriel
7) Bukayo Saka
8) Viktor Gyokeres
Zubimendi has also made a few errors leading directly to goals. There was the cheap concession of possession that led to Richarlison scoring in the north London derby at the Emirates last year and it was his stray pass that led to Bryan Mbeumo scoring when Manchester United visited the Emirates Stadium.
The Spain international also showcased his limitations against Man City last weekend, particularly when it came to progressing the ball. After half-time, it took Arsenal until the 71st minute to register a progressive pass in the opposition's half.
A pass is considered progressive if the distance between the starting point and the next touch is at least 10 meters closer to the opponent's goal or any completed pass into the penalty area.
So, after the international break, it's time for Arteta to try something different alongside Rice.
Arsenal's Martin Zubimendi solution
Zubimendi has not been a poor signing by any stretch of the imagination. You do not play more minutes than Rice, Bukayo Saka, Gabriel and William Saliba if you are bad at football.
Zubimendi
However, now is the time to take him out of the firing line. As Arteta seeks a solution, how about fielding Myles Lewis-Skelly in midfield?
The teenager's campaign could not have been more different to Zubimendi's, playing just 1,298 minutes in all competitions.
Myles Lewis-Skelly for Arsenal
For a player who made such a staggering impact during his debut campaign as a senior player at Arsenal, it's been a really sad sequence of events. In 2024/25, he dazzled and sparkled against both Real Madrid and PSG in the Champions League but his confidence looks shot to bits this term, subsequently starting just once in the Premier League all season.
This time last year, he was about to make his England debut. It was a game he scored in. Yet, football changes quickly. After a distinct lack of minutes, he now has next to no chance of making Thomas Tuchel's World Cup squad.
The German did warn him back in November that things would play out in this manner unless he played more and lo and behold, he was not selected in the squad for the March and April international break.
That is no great shock and to be fair to Lewis-Skelly, it's not really through any fault of his own. The role of Arsenal's left-back has changed slightly with Piero Hincapie and Riccardo Calafiori ahead of him this season. Arteta has preferred defensive security and who can blame him?
Hincapie-Arsenal
That said, there is still a role for Lewis-Skelly in this team and it could be in midfield, a position he grew up playing in for the academy but hasn't been seen in a single time since his rise to first-team stardom.
What makes the 19-year-old such an exciting midfield prospect? Well, like his fellow countryman in Rice, he's phenomenal at not just evading the press but progressing play. That was a huge issue for Arsenal in the Carabao Cup final and could be solved in the back end of the season by utilising Lewis-Skelly alongside Rice.
Last term, the teenager ranked inside the top 13% of full-backs in Europe's top five leagues for progressive carries. In contrast, Zubimendi only ranks in the top 53% of midfielders for that metric this season, showcasing his inability to beat a player and drive his team forward with the ball at his feet.
Comparing that to Rice and you start to realise why Lewis-Skelly is cut from a similar cloth as far as getting the ball up the pitch is concerned. In 2026/26, the England superstar ranks among the best 15% of midfielders on the continent for progressive passes per 90 minutes and the top 5% for progressive carries, according to Data MB.
Arsenal have relied far too much on Rice this season and while the midfielder credits Zubimendi with improving him, noting in an interview that their "understanding of each other has been outstanding", it's time for a different midfield partner now.
Declan-Rice-Arsenal
Lewis-Skelly is far too good to sit on the bench for much longer. He's been hailed by club insider Hand of Arsenal as a "future captain" and they simply have to give him more minutes.
The youngster has sat on the sidelines for a while but he could yet play a vital part in Arsenal's hopes of winning a famous treble before the season is out.
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