Viktor Gyokeres’ first goal for Arsenal might have grabbed the headlines, but fellow new boy Martin Zubimendi’s performance against Athletic Bilbao was just as eye-catching.
Identified by Mikel Arteta over a year ago as the man to anchor his midfield, the Basque finally got a proper run-out alongside Martin Odegaard and Declan Rice. After recent disjointed pre-season showings, the trio clicked to deliver the Gunners’ slickest display of the summer, raising hopes ahead of next weekend’s trip to Old Trafford.
“With the qualities that they have and the way they can complement each other in that space, we saw another evolution today on that and things that the team can really benefit from to be much more unpredictable and be a much more threat, especially from these inside positions,” [said Arteta afterwards.](https://www.arsenal.com/news/every-word-mikels-post-athletic-club-presser)
Calm in possession, constantly scanning, technically sharp and unafraid of the physical side, Zubimendi looks well-suited to the Premier League grind. There’ll be an inevitable bedding-in period, but being flanked by seasoned operators who know exactly how to run a midfield should help.
“It was easy,” [said the 25-year-old of lining up with Rice and Odegaard](https://www.arsenal.com/news/zubimendi-team-have-made-it-easy-me). “They’re top players, the best in their position. It’s time to learn, adapt and enjoy it, above all.”
After the naïve defending on show against Villarreal in midweek, a clean sheet against Athletic – with Gabriel Magalhaes, Jurrien Timber and Riccardo Calafiori all getting minutes – was a welcome boost. And while results aren’t the be-all and end-all in pre-season, Zubimendi admitted it was good to put two straight defeats behind them.
“It was an important game because we came from two defeats. It’s true that they were friendlies, but this club doesn’t understand defeats in any context, so it was an important game to win and start the pre-season with a good feeling.
“The truth is that this team has to adapt to all contexts, whether it’s losing or winning, with the aim of winning above all. Let’s hope we can get through these types of games and do great things.
“It’s a good end to pre-season, but the best is yet to come. In the end, the league is the league. We like to compete; we like to win. I’m very happy that it’s starting now.”
Arsenal face a challenging start to the campaign, hosting Leeds after the trip to Old Trafford before facing four of last season’s top seven on the bounce. If “great things” are going to happen, Zubimendi and co. need to hit the ground running. Here’s hoping they do.