Martin Zubimendi looks set to join Arsenal in the summer — and as a result, the Emirates faithful will be taking a keen look at his last few displays in a Real Sociedad shirt — starting with his latest outing against Atletico Madrid.
As Zubimendi has agreed to join Arsenal, the Gunners fans who tuned in to watch him against Diego Simeone’s side would have been disappointed to see his side suffer a 4-0 defeat.
Alexander Sorloth scored the fastest hat-trick in La Liga history in the space of 11 minutes and added a fourth goal to his tally as the Norwegian international singlehandedly mauled Sociedad.
Martin Zubimendi would like to leave his boyhood club on a high note but Atletico Madrid did not make life any easier for the Spanish international.
Zubimendi is a top player and he will be eager to show Arsenal supporters worldwide that is the case even before he makes his way to North London.
Spain media note Martin Zubimendi’s form has dropped off after Atletico Madrid vs Real Sociedad
However, Zubimendi had a tough task on his hands, playing against an incredible midfield trio of Koke, Pablo Barrios and Rodrigo de Paul.
Andrea Berta helped Arsenal clinch Zubimendi’s signing and the Italian might have especially taken special interest in the game as the European Championship winner was facing his former side.
However, Spanish media outlet Diario AS noted that the 26-year-old did not have his best game and while he was still serviceable for the most part, his form has taken a nosedive recently.
“In line with recent matches, where his [Zubimendi] form has dropped significantly. A more than modest performance on the day his summer move to Arsenal was practically a done deal. He was the man behind Real’s first shot of the first half, which came in the 46th minute.”
Martin Zubimendi stats for Real Sociedad vs Atletico Madrid
On one hand, some could argue that the Spaniard’s decline in form is not good news for Arsenal as it could suggest that his signing could be a risky one.
But Mikel Arteta has chased Zubimendi for ages having been in contact with him via text and that could suggest that he is convinced that his countryman is the real deal.
But against Atleti, the Arsenal-bound midfielder was far from his best and the stats reflect that as well.
| MARTIN ZUBIMENDI STATS VS REAL SOCIEDAD | |
| TOUCHES | 46 |
| ACCURATE PASSES | 31/37 (84%) |
| ACCURATE LONG BALLS | 0/1 |
| DUELS WON | 2/2 |
| TACKLES WON | 0/2 |
| INTERCEPTIONS | 1 |
| DEFENSIVE ACTIONS | 5 |
What is telling is that against Atletico Madrid, Zubimendi was rather passive both on and off the ball.
Out of possession, Zubimendi did not make a single tackle and was just involved in five defensive actions, which suggests that the visitors simply could not lay a glove on the host for much of the game,
But even on the ball, the fact that the Real Sociedad fan favourite had just 46 touches and played one long ball reflects that he was on the periphery of proceedings.
