#58 - Zubimendi highlights long-term midfield direction
How signing Zubimendi & Nypan could complete the midfield for years and help increase our attacking potency with tactical tweaks
At the time of writing, Arsenal have sadly done nothing in attack. The Gunners needed two signings this month to compete, but we’ve taken too long and it’s been costly.
I’ve said enough in this newsletter about what to do in attack, players we could target etc. so I’m having a week off from that.
Where we have seen some transfer news of substance is midfield. A future move for Martin Zubimendi seems all but done, according to reports last week.
There’s been great debate as to where Declan Rice will mainly play for Arsenal long-term. When Mikel kept Thomas Partey and Jorginho alongside Rice, it seemed clear, the Englishman was preferred as a number 8. Now, with both Partey and Jorginho expected to leave in the summer, Arsenal had an opportunity to move Rice deeper. But, they look to have already secured a new #6 in Martin Zubimendi.
A clear indication again that whilst Rice can play deeper on occasion, Mikel’s preference is Rice as a number 8. With Zubimendi as a deep-lying playmaker, does Mikel now have his dream midfield?
In Rice, Arteta has his more dynamic physical left eight, in the Xhaka mould, but with more energy to bound between the boxes.
Zubimendi will be the conductor at the base, more in the Jorginho line-breaking mould than Partey, but with better defensive attributes to mop things up. A bit of a blend between the two players and perhaps that is Mikel’s ideal number 6.
That keeps Martin Odegaard as the chief conductor in the three, but with Zubimendi behind, he has more support from a creative standpoint, and the Spaniard can act as a good release valve.
Rice would still likely get minutes as a number 6, given the fact both Partey and Jorginho are expected to leave. Myles Lewis-Skelly would also be a contender to step in at the base when required, given his technical and physical qualities.
Arsenal probably need another more creative 8 in the mix too. And that could come in the form of Norweigan wonderkid Sverre Halseth Nypan.
Arsenal are said to be leading the race for the much coveted 18-year-old. Arsenal have Merino, Nwaneri and Havertz as other options to rotate in those roles, but as we’ve seen this season, with a couple of injuries and fatigue issues, there needs to be depth in these difference making positions. You also need options on the bench every game to win games, something Liverpool have managed to do several times this season.
Given Saka’s injury, if Arsenal could get Nypan this month, it could free up Nwaneri to play consistently in the frontline for the rest of the season, with Nypan then providing some respite for Odegaard.
If, over the next couple of windows, Arsenal release Jorginho and Partey and bring in Zubimendi and Nypan, it would leave them with the options below.
That looks like a midfield with the right mix of qualities, sufficient depth and an age profile to deliver both now and in the longer term.
Some may feel that midfield three is a tad conservative. That’s why Arsenal need to add some attackers but also re-evaluate how they are positioned on the field. With a midfield trio that has high work-rate and good defensive cover, the structure should afford the wide players to stay higher when defending, thus creating a bigger transition threat, something Arsenal struggle with.
Arteta traditionally likes to defend in a 442 block. This tends to have Odegaard and the striker as the front two. Could Odegaard drop wider, allowing a winger to form part of the front two, thus giving us more pace in transition and a better finisher higher up the pitch - like in the below example.
This is what Liverpool do with Mohammed Salah. Saka’s numbers are already incredible, but given more freedom in these moments, where space may be there to exploit, he could go up another level and so could Arsenal’s attacking numbers.
That freedom in transition for Saka reminds me of his goal at Spurs last season (watch from 1:54 below).
If the striker is Havertz or in the Havertz mould, you even have the flexibility to drop him back into the midfield 4 block and allow both your wingers to stay forward. Odegaard and Rice can help the full backs in wide areas, with Zubimendi dropping deep to defend the edge of the box, and Havertz applying pressure to the opponents number 6 - see this shape demonstrated in the graphic below.
I appreciate this weeks post is a bit of a longer term look into next seasons tactics. It’s hard however to write about what is happening right now anymore than I already have. We can all see the issues, and the club have to support this group of players and manager in the market.
Hopefully next time I am writing it is with news that Arsenal have pulled the trigger on (at least) one attacking signing.