Arteta could finally ditch Zubimendi by starting Arsenal’s new Declan Rice

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Arteta could finally ditch Zubimendi by starting Arsenal’s new Declan Rice

As Arsenal labored to a 2-0 Carabao Cup final defeat at the hands of Manchester City, many reasons were to be blamed for such a poor performance under the Wembley arch.

Although Kepa Arrizabalaga’s mistake was one of the deciding moments, it didn’t help that the Gunners were without Martin Odegaard and Eberechi Eze through injury.

Couple this with the poor form of Bukayo Saka and the fatigue of key players such as Declan Rice and Martin Zubimendi and it sounded like a recipe for failure.

That being said, the fact that they lost and how they lost was truly amazing. No matter how much of an obstacle, no matter how much of a problem Mikel Arteta’s team has faced this term, they have traditionally found a way to get over the line. However, in their biggest game of 2025/26 so far, they fell at the first hurdle in their quest to win a host of major trophies.

Although Arteta will not be able to rip up the playbook after the international break, Sunday’s defeat showed that there are a few things that need to change, especially in midfield.

Why Martin Zubimendi needs to be withdrawn

When Arsenal moved to sign Zubimendi from Real Sociedad in the summer, it was a deal that was met with great excitement, especially because they had beaten Liverpool to his signature.

In the infancy of his Arsenal career, he looked like a marvel. This was the player chosen by Spain as the understudy to Rodri, a player he has even adopted as his nation’s number 6.

He looked like a great player early on, introducing himself with two blistering goals against Nottingham Forest last September.

The Spaniard was not brought in to score goals, but it was a sign of a player who ticks a lot of boxes. Zubimendi is not a bulldozer in the middle of the park. He doesn’t have the physicality of his partner Rice, but what he makes up for in that department is his composure, passing ability and decision making.

Well, so we thought. As the campaign wore on for a long time, Zubimendi’s performance got worse and worse. However, should we be surprised?

He started 30 of the 31 Premier League games they played, covering a total of 3,575 minutes in all competitions. That’s more minutes than any foreign player at the club. He looks like he’s squirming, which isn’t too scary.

Minutes played by Arsenal players – 2025/26
The player	Minutes played
1) David Raya	3,600
2) Martin Zubimendi	2,575
3) Declan Rice	3,462
4) Jurrien Timber	3,309
5) William Saliba	3,216
6) Gabriel	3,073
7) Bukayo Saka	2,869
8) Viktor Gyokeres	2,762

Zubimendi also made a few mistakes that led directly to goals. It was a cheap clearance that led to Richarlison’s goal in the North London derby at the Emirates last year and it was his deflection that led to Bryan Mbeumo’s goal when Manchester United visited the Emirates Stadium.

The Spaniard also revealed his limitations against Man City last weekend, especially when it comes to improving football. After the break, it took Arsenal until the 71st minute to register a sustained pass into the opposition half.

A pass is considered continuous if the distance between the starting point and the next touch is at least 10 meters near the opponent’s goal or any completed pass to the penalty area.

So, after the international break, it’s time for Arteta to try something different alongside Rice.

Arsenal’s solution to Martin Zubimendi

Zubimendi was not signing as well as he thought. You don’t play more minutes than Rice, Bukayo Saka, Gabriel and William Saliba if you are bad at football.

However, now is the time to take him out of the firing line. With Arteta looking for a solution, how about putting Myles Lewis-Skelly in midfield?

The youngster’s campaign would not be too different from Zubimendi’s as he played just 1,298 minutes in all competitions.

For a player who made such a stunning impact in his first campaign as a top-flight player at Arsenal, it was a truly tragic turn of events. In 2024/25, he shone and flashed against Real Madrid and PSG in the Champions League but his confidence looks set to wane this season, after making just one Premier League start all season.

This time last year, he would have made his England debut. It was a scoring game. However, football is changing fast. After a different lack of minutes, he now has the chance to play for Thomas Tuchel’s World Cup squad.

The German warned him in November that things would go this way unless he played a lot and lo and behold, he was not named in the squad for the international break in March and April.

That’s not a huge shock and to be fair to Lewis-Skelly, it’s really not through any fault of his. Arsenal’s left-back role has changed a bit as previously Piero Hincapie and Riccardo Calafiori this season. Arteta opted for defensive safety and who can blame him?

Just to say this, there is still a role for Lewis-Skelly in this team and it may be in the middle of the field, which is the position he grew up playing in this center but he has not seen a single time since he was promoted to the first division.

What makes the 19-year-old such an exciting midfielder? However, like his compatriot at Rice, he is remarkable for not only avoiding the media but also playing in development. That was a major problem for Arsenal in the Carabao Cup final and could have been solved at the end of the season by using Lewis-Skelly alongside Rice.

Last term, the teenager ranked in the top 13% of defenders in Europe’s top five leagues for developing players. In contrast, Zubimendi only ranks in 53% of the best midfielders in that metric this season, which shows his inability to beat a player and drive his team forward with the ball at his feet.

Compare that to Rice and you begin to see why Lewis-Skelly is cut from the same cloth in terms of getting the ball up. In 2026/26, the England star ranked in the top 15% of midfielders across the continent for continuous passes per 90 minutes and the top 5% for continuous plays, according to Data MB.

Arsenal have relied heavily on Rice this season and the midfielder credits Zubimendi for improving him, noting in the interview that “their chemistry was outstanding”, it was time for a different midfield partner.

Lewis-Skelly is too good to sit on the bench for long. He has been hailed by club insider Hand of Arsenal as “the captain of the future” and they should give him more minutes.

The youngster has been on the sidelines for a while but could still play a vital role in Arsenal’s hopes of winning the famous treble before the end of the season.