Arsenal star’s pre-match warning for team-mates emerges after fearing the worst

Arsenal midfielder Martin Zubimendi has admitted the warning he issued to his team-mates ahead of the club’s 2-0 win over Athletic Club in the Champions League

Martin Zubimendi has revealed the warning he gave his Arsenal team-mates before the club’s Champions League clash against Athletic Club. The Gunners secured a 2-0 win in Bilbao, though Zubimendi admitted to alerting the Arsenal squad about the challenges that awaited at San Mames.

The Spanish midfielder’s message proved accurate during the first half as the Gunners battled to create attacking opportunities. Mikel Arteta’s team ultimately secured victory through substitutes, with Gabriel Martinelli scoring just moments after entering the match and fellow sub Leandro Trossard sealing the result.

Former Real Sociedad star Zubimendi understood how the home supporters could have affected Arsenal’s performance, having personally suffered four consecutive Basque derby defeats at San Mames. The Gunners achieving a 2-0 victory demonstrates Arsenal’s ability to handle pressure and maximise their squad depth.

“I already made sure to warn them beforehand that it wasn’t going to be easy,” Zubimendi laughed when speaking to El Larguero on SER radio following the match.

When questioned whether the result felt more satisfying than usual, he admitted: “Yes, I’m not going to lie to you. It’s a special ground where it’s been very difficult for me to win, so I’m happy to do it.”

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The 26-year-old hadn’t tasted victory at Athletic’s home stadium since December 2020, but he maintained that dwelling on his previous setbacks wouldn’t have enhanced his performance. “I don’t think overmotivation will do us any good,” Zubimendi explained. “Thinking so much about it being a special match doesn’t do us any good.”

Reflecting on Arsenal’s showing in Bilbao, Zubimendi concluded: “It was important to start with three points. We struggled in the first half, but when you’re not completely comfortable, you have to know how to compete, and this team did just that.

“We’re conceding very few goals, and when we’re not good with the ball, the team maintains that focus and that know-how to win.”

Zubimendi wasn’t the only player with Basque derby experience in the Arsenal squad as fellow former Sociedad star Mikel Merino joined him in midfield. It was the former, who has featured in all five of the club’s matches this term and scored twice against Nottingham Forest last week, who was was recently signled out for praise by his boss.

“Yes, [Zubimendi is] another one that obviously coming from abroad is always very tricky, especially with the demands in this league and in that particular position because you have so much responsibility in that role and you have to be aware of everything that we do,” Arteta said during his recent press conference. “But such an intelligent boy, a lot of presence, a lot of quality and a lot of courage to play football.”

Arsenal are gearing up to host Manchester City at the Emirates Stadium, a match that could potentially create a six-point gap between the two sides. Despite this, Arteta is keeping his feet on the ground.

“It’s about winning again and creating another good moment for us,” he told reporters when asked about the significance of the game in the title race. “Consistency, competing against one of the best teams, obviously, in the world. It’s a good test for us to see our level as well.”

Arteta will also be optimistic about the impact his substitutes can have against City, following their recent win against Athletic. “If you look historically, the top teams, the teams that have won a lot, the impact that the finishers had has always been really, really high,” he explained.

“You need that quality nowadays to unlock games and to do it consistently every three days. It’s even harder, more difficult and that’s what you need. We are very lucky because we have players that can make that impact. They certainly did that the other day and now we need consistency on that.”

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