32/32 passes, 3/3 duels: 26yo Arsenal star is poised to start vs Man Utd, he is undroppable - opinion
Arsenal were on the losing side against Villarreal in yesterday’s friendly at the Emirates Stadium.
The Gunners picked up a second-straight defeat in pre-season following a 1-0 loss to Tottenham Hotspur in Hong Kong last week.
Mikel Arteta’s side were far from impressive at home and were vulnerable at the back in particular.
They need to step up against Athletic Bilbao in their final pre-season friendly this weekend.
The game will be the final one before the Premier League curtain-raiser at Manchester United, and Arteta is bound to pick his best XI.
Christian Norgaard started the 3-2 loss to Villarreal yesterday, and had a good outing with a 100 percent passing accuracy. He made three recoveries.
The Dane also won a couple of duels and scored a headed goal from a corner.
He was replaced at the interval by Martin Zubimendi in the holding midfield position. The Spaniard definitely brought more intensity into the game.
Similar to Norgaard, the 26-year-old completed 100 percent of his passes (32/32), but also caught the eye with his progressiveness from the centre of the park.
He won three duels alongside two dribbles (100 percent). Zubimendi was quicker with transition of play unlike Norgaard, who did not press forward as much.
Zubimendi increased the tempo from the heart of the midfield during the second half.
Both defensive midfielders have added quality to the Arsenal ranks this summer, but there is no denying that Zubimendi is an undisputed starter going forward.
In our view, Arteta has another undroppable from the line-up in the Spaniard. He looks poised to start against Athletic before making his full competitive Arsenal debut versus United.
The Gunners entertain Athletic at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday. They start their league campaign against the Red Devils at Old Trafford eight days later.
Stats from Sofascore.com
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