Arsenal has a good spine with a top forward in Bukayo Saka, a defence with Gabriel and William Saliba, and a supposed star duo of Declan Rice and Martin Ødegaard in the midfield. They might be top players, but they have not been in the optimal midfield set-up that takes advantage of both of their assets. 

That changes with Martin Zubimendi coming in. The Spanish midfielder could be significant for Arsenal, possessing the qualities that manager Mikel Arteta values for his team.

Zubimendi gives Arsenal the midfielder they need

Arsenal has operated with either Thomas Partey or Jorginho as their defensive midfielder or #6 in the 2024-25 season. They have been good because they dictate the game’s pace. However, they are limited on the physical side of the game, as they are slower out of possession (OOP), making other players adjust to them.

With Zubimendi, that won’t be the case as he is athletic enough to play as the #6, but he still has the qualities of Partey and Jorginho. The passing range encourages the rest of the team to bomb forward. Rice, who was a #6 before joining Arsenal, has become the left-sided #8 with Ødegaard on the right.

Now that they have more opportunities to attack, they can focus on that aspect of the game and contribute to creating goals. Rice has done well with that in the 2024-25 season, but Ødegaard could have a resurgent campaign.

Arsenal’s midfield depth will be remarkable

If and when Zubimendi joins Arsenal, the club will have a strong cast of midfielders. The trio of Zubimendi, Rice, and Ø are the primary options, but they also have Mikel Merino, Myles Lewis-Skelly moving from left-back to their preferred midfield roles. 

This midfield also includes Ethan Nwaneri, who has been developed as the depth behind Ødegaard. Another academy graduate, Max Dowman, is also being developed into one of the team’s best midfielders. He is only 15, but the potential is impressive, as Arteta wants to integrate him into the system.

With more reinforcements likely coming in the transfer window, Arsenal could have one of the world’s best midfield lineups. This will make them one of the squads other clubs will be wary of.

Arsenal can win trophies with this core

Zubimendi’s arrival allows more players to be in their natural positions, which could be what Arsenal needs to start winning trophies. Those could come in the Premier League, Champions League, or even the cup competitions, as they have the depth to compete. 

The club has competed at the highest level over the past few seasons, which means those experiences could lead the team to improve and beat the top teams.

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The May 18th match secured Arsenal’s Champions League position after defeating Newcastle 1-0. The Player of the Match, Declan Rice, took the shot and gave the winning score to his team. The victory was celebrated by fans at the Emirates Stadium, who knew how important the result was for the season.

David Raya and Declan Rice were considered heroes of the game. During the first half, Arsenal’s David Raya maintained a tight defence and denied the visitors scoring opportunities. 

Raya made a series of impressive saves, stopping shots from Bruno Guimaraes, Tino Livramento, and Harvey Barnes, before making a brilliant double save from Dan Burn and Sven Botman after a corner.

Rice scored a goal early in the second half with a smooth, first-touch shot into the bottom corner, after getting a pass from Martin Odegaard near the edge of the penalty area. This score was the winning goal, giving Arsenal the victory. 

This match gave Arsenal five points ahead of Newcastle. With this victory, they are tied to the current Champions League second-placer, Barcelona, with both securing 19 points. 

Without Alexander Isak, Newcastle found it hard to make good chances and challenge Arsenal’s defence, leading to their almost inevitable defeat. 

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Arsenal faced a tough match against Brighton in the Women’s Super League, experiencing a 4-2 defeat. This loss marks their second in just a week, shaking their hopes for a strong finish. Brighton took charge early, scoring first and keeping the lead throughout the game. 

Brighton kicked off with a bang, with Fran Kirby scoring a stunning goal in the 16th minute. Caitlin Foord scored an equaliser for Arsenal in the 29th minute. For the rest of the match, Arsenal struggled to find their rhythm as Alessia Russo and Frida Maanum had their shots saved by Brighton goalkeeper Sophie Baggaley.

As the match went on, Jelena Čanković netted two goals for Brighton, adding to their lead. Katie McCabe made a costly error, letting Kiko Seike race through to score the fourth goal. Arsenal scored a consolation goal late in injury time from Mariona Caldentey, but it wasn't enough to change the outcome. With this defeat, Arsenal sits just a point ahead of Manchester United in the standings. 

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Arsenal faced Crystal Palace in a tense EPL match at Selhurst Park, ending in a 2-2 draw. Both teams had their ups and downs as they fought for key points in the league. With this draw, Arsenal sits in a tough spot, looking to stay close to the top teams.

The match kicked off strongly for Arsenal when Jakub Kiwior scored early, bringing hope to the Gunners. However, Crystal Palace quickly fought back. Eberechi Eze found the net with a clever shot, drawing the home team level. 

Leandro Trossard scored for Arsenal, showing his skill, but late in the game, a slip from William Saliba let Palace back in. Jean-Philippe Mateta took advantage, smashing in a long-range shot that sealed the draw.

Now, Arsenal's focus shifts to their big clash with Paris Saint-Germain. They’ll need to tighten their defence and finish strong if they want to compete for a spot in the Champions League final.  

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Declan Rice is on a fantastic run in 2025, as he has become Arsenal’s focal point. Despite their injury troubles, the Gunners are in the UEFA Champions League semi-finals after beating 15-time winners Real Madrid. Rice played a huge role in the 5-1 aggregate win, as he scored two spectacular free kicks in the first leg at the Emirates Stadium on April 8.

With his performances for Arsenal, Rice has cemented his place as one of the world’s best midfielders. In fact, he is the best example of an ‘all-action midfielder�? as he is good at every facet of football. Find out more about Rice and why he deserves to be called an elite player.

Rice has elite versatility in midfield

As a youth player, Rice started as a centre-back, where his athleticism and strength stood out. Despite those traits of being a traditional CB, Rice progressed further up the pitch, as he became a defensive midfielder (#6) at West Ham United. 

He became elite in that position, but people caught glimpses of him being an all-action midfielder there. Rice moved to Arsenal in 2023, where he continued playing at #6. A few months into his time at Arsenal, manager Mikel Arteta assigned him as a left-sided central midfielder (#8). 

This made him more influential on offence as he became Martin Ødegaard’s playmaking partner. Rice’s ball-carrying and attacking instincts helped him become a more impactful player. He is still impactful with his out of possession (OOP) work with interceptions, which shows his versatility as a well-rounded midfielder.

Rice perfectly blends the traits of elite midfielders

Rice has become an established elite player, but he is also a product of midfielders of previous eras. Declan plays with the relentless energy reminiscent of Steven Gerrard.

Rice’s impact on offence is similar to that of Paul Scholes or even Frank Lampard to some extent. With all these comparisons to former icons of the English game, it further cements Rice’s status as a world-class midfielder for Arsenal and the England national team.

Arsenal has maximised his skills as a top player

With Rice playing at this elite level, he can be considered one of the world’s best players. The performances against Real Madrid were already strong, but he deserves more recognition for what he has done in the past two seasons with Arsenal.

He will only improve with time, as he learns how to become a better playmaker and leader. Rice already has all the tools; he just needs to finish the job and win a trophy with Arsenal as they are a spectacular side that deserves some silverware.

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According to the latest league table, Liverpool is the current leader, with 73 points to their name, and they seem unstoppable. However, the Premier League is also known for major twists and surprises, which leads to the question: Can Liverpool defend their rank? 

Liverpool’s recent win streak is a testament

For the past five games of Liverpool, they won four of them and the other match ended in a 2-2 draw. This proves they have a good chance of winning their next matches and taking the field again. This momentum can prove vital for their future matches because this gives the players higher morale. 

Salah’s prowess will be vital

As Liverpool’s forward and right winger, Mohamed Salah has a vital role to play and keep. Now that he is currently the season’s player with the most goals (27) and assists (17), he needs to maintain this so Liverpool can hold on to their rank much longer. 

Liverpool’s injuries

As of writing, there are five players sidelined with injuries: 

• Joe Gomez (defender) - Thigh injury
• Trent Alexander-Arnold (right-back or midfielder) - Ankle/foot injury
• Alisson Becker (goalkeeper) - Head/face injury
• Tyler Morton (defensive midfielder) - Shoulder
• Conor Bradley (right-back) - Thigh injury.

More injured players mean less tactical advantage on the field. With their remaining players, the head coach has to strategise their next moves and plays carefully. 

Arsenal is a close competitor

Currently, Liverpool is at the top of the league table with 73 points, while Arsenal comes second with 61 points, just below Liverpool. The 12-point gap is a concerning difference since Arsenal only has to win four matches to fully catch up with Liverpool. 

Only wins and draws

In technical terms, Arsenal can catch up with Liverpool if their future games are all wins. If Liverpool takes a few losses in the remaining games, they might be in trouble, as Arsenal currently only has to win all their games to top them. 

Keep up with Liverpool’s performance in the EPL

Liverpool has a good chance of defending their position. However, Arsenal’s threat is not to be taken lightly. If both teams win all their remaining games, it will end in a draw, and the champion will be decided by goal difference or other tiebreakers. 

At the moment, Liverpool is still in the lead as they currently have 70 goals, while Arsenal is at 55. It is hard to chase goal differences, but it is possible. If Arsenal manages even the points, history will repeat itself as the team closed a 13-point gap in the 1997-98 Premier League season.

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Arsenal is still one of the most impressive teams in England’s Premier League, but their chances of winning the title have slipped away. Liverpool have pulled ahead in the 2024-25 season, and the Gunners have been left in the dust.

The title charge has already been damaging, but a draw to bitter rivals Manchester United has proven to be a bad result for the North London club. Manager Mikel Arteta has done superbly well this season amidst all the injuries and the lack of recruitment. He was visibly frustrated after the 1-1 draw at Old Trafford on Sunday, March 9, 2025.

Arteta believes they failed to capitalise against Man U

Arsenal conceded a Bruno Fernandes free-kick goal in the first half, but the Gunners looked ready to bounce back. They finally broke through when Martin Ødegaard and Jurrien Timber carved out the defence to open up a Declan Rice equaliser. Beyond that goal, Arsenal were wasteful with their goal-scoring chances.

After the match, Mikel was furious as it was a winnable game. Man United did not have the best performance, but Arsenal kept having trouble unlocking the low-block defence the Red Devils deployed during the match because of a lack of quality in the attack.

He said, ‘We had some unbelievable situations but we didn't get the last shot or the last pass. We didn't capitalise, we rushed the game, we started to lose duels, and we could have ended up losing it. Sometimes that is what is missing. The execution has to be in to the right player and the right player to shoot�?

Arsenal remains a fantastic team

While most people will be negative about what has happened with Arsenal this season, context is needed in the discourse. They lost multiple star players like Ødegaard and Bukayo Saka for months, which resulted in the team struggling.

Further injuries to players around the team ruined their chances of winning games when they should have. They are a dominant side, but the front office’s struggles with recruitment have been obvious this season.

With reports of former Atlético Madrid director Andrea Berta taking over the sporting director role in North London, this might not be an issue. He has a proven track record of leading a team to success in Spain, and Mikel might finally get his desired players.

Gunners fans are displeased with what they have seen this season, but Arsenal are still a strong side. They will continue to improve, especially with an elite manager like Mikel leading the charge. By getting healthier and doing good scouting, the Gunners can douse the fire and get the much-needed trophy soon.

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After an impressive performance in Round of 16 of the Champions League, Arsenal are back to the Quarter-Final stage. This is the second straight year they have done this after missing the UCL for many years. They now set up a date against 15-time winner Real Madrid, which is possibly the best matchup of the competition so far. 

A blockbuster clash between elite teams

This is a matchup that any football fan could enjoy as it’s a fantastic story heading into the two-legged tie in April 2025. Arsenal have long starved for a Champions League trophy, which got even worse when they lost in the UCL Final in 2006 to Barcelona. 

On the other hand, Real has been the most successful team in the competition, as they win it nearly every year. It is only the Quarter-Finals, but if Arsenal can get past Los Blancos, they could win the UCL.

With Bukayo Saka returning soon, he could be the key for Arsenal to beat Real Madrid. It will be difficult because of the championship pedigree and experience the Spanish titans have over their English adversaries.

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Old Trafford was filled with fans�?cheers and chants as Manchester United and Arsenal played an intense match on Sunday, March 9, 2025. The game ended in a draw as Arsenal’s midfielder, Declan Rice, scored the equaliser.

The first half of the match was uneventful, but as the half time neared, Manchester United’s midfielder Bruno Fernandes was given a free kick. He took this opportunity to score for his team and showed a masterful kick that infiltrated Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya’s wall and through his hands.  

The second half had more intensity as both teams tried their hardest to change the flow of the game. Multiple kicks, counter-attacks, and near-misses occurred on both sides. As the second half neared its end, at the 74th-minute mark, Rice kicked the equalising score for Arsenal. 

Desperation grew even thicker, with both teams trying to score a winning goal for their teams. 

Arsenal’s midfield had another chance for a goal outside the penalty area, but the ball was deflected by Man UTD’s goalkeeper André Onana. With no luck on both sides, the game ended in a 1-1 tie.

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The UEFA Champions League (UCL) gives every domestic league a fixed number of places to qualify for the tournament every season. However, it awards two domestic leagues extra places, allowing them to have more participants to represent their association. The English Premier League (EPL) is leading the race to win these extra places for 2026 UCL. 

It’s not final and there’s still a lot of time until UEFA declares the winners. Other candidates include the Italian Serie A, the Spanish La Liga, the German Bundesliga, and the French Ligue 1 in that order. There is still a lot of work to be done with Italy and Spain having the best chance to overcome England’s lead. 

Factors to decide which league wins the extra place

To keep up with these events, it’s important to know what factors the UEFA consider to decide the winner of these extra places. Here are some of them and how they impact the association’s participation in the UCL:

UEFA coefficient standing

The UEFA coefficient ranking is the easiest metric to follow because it is updated live and the chart is publicly available on the main website. As of writing, the points of each association club coefficients are as follows:

• England �?106.624
• Italy �?93.418
• Spain �?89.381
• Germany �?83.956
• France �?70.22

The coefficient standing takes records of all clubs�?performances in every European competition. That includes the currently ongoing UCL as well as other tournaments like the Europa League, Conference League, and Super Cup. 

Extra bonus points system in the UCL

The 2024/25 UCL has a revamped bonus point system where the clubs�?performance in the ongoing UCL contributes to their chances to win the extra place. Spain has a troubled start in the 2024/25 season with AC Milan, Atalanta, and Juventus losing in the knockout play-off. However, Real Madrid earned a big win when they defeated Manchester City. 

England still has plenty of opportunities to widen their lead having Arsenal, Aston Villa, and Liverpool still in the Round of 16. Italy only has Inter Milan left to represent them while Spain still has Atletico, Barcelona, and Real Madrid in the race. 

How’s England doing in the race for an extra UCL place?

The EPL still has 3 participants in the UCL Round of 16 including Liverpool, Arsenal, and Aston Villa. All of them are heavy hitters and are among the top 5 favourites for the 2024/25 Champions League trophy. 

Probable hurdles they can face in the last stage of the UCL include Inter Milan, Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid, and Barcelona. Don’t miss their eventual head-to-head in the UCL because their meets will be a deciding factor in the 2024/25 and 2025/26 UCL seasons. 

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