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Forget Eze: Another Arsenal Star Fighting For His Future After Arteta Decision vs Liverpool

After deciding late that he wanted a career in sports journalism, Daniel worked his way up the ladder in an unconventional manner. Having opted against university, Daniel worked with Sky Sports as a freelance contributor and translator during transfer windows while also volunteering on several other blog pages and outlets to get a portfolio of content together. Daniel then worked with Barnet FC as part of their social media team before starting his own website, which focused on football and MMA content. That eventually led to work with 90min and Reach PLC with The Mirror, Daily Record, Daily Express, and Manchester Evening News. Following that, Daniel spent two-and-a-half years with Breaking Media covering Everton, Rangers, Leeds, West Ham and other clubs before joining GiveMeSport as a Premier League editor. As well as football, Daniel is a huge MMA fan and has appeared on YouTube and podcast content too.

via Reuters

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Arsenal claimed a historic win over Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday afternoon to move top of the Premier League table.

Kai Havertz's first-half goal was enough to seal all three points for the reigning champions, as Mikel Arteta's side delivered a defensive masterclass, keeping the hosts from registering a single shot on target for the first time ever.

That was despite the team having limited options to choose from in attack, with Bukayo Saka out with a hamstring injury and Max Dowman suspended following his red card against Fleetwood.

Arteta admitted before the game that the team were forced to make some decisions on the fitness of forwards Noni Madueke and Christos Tzolis, who were both named in the starting lineup despite dealing with injuries that had kept them out of recent games.

The manager opted to do that despite having Viktor Gyokeres and Eberechi Eze on the bench and fully fit, which suggests that they are some way down in his thinking at the moment. But there was another decision that was made during the game, which means there is someone else in the squad who may well be fighting for his future at the Emirates Stadium.

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During the summer transfer window, Arsenal splashed £70m on bolstering their midfield options with Bruno Guimaraes, and the Brazilian was named in the starting lineup alongside star man Declan Rice for the trip to Anfield.

The duo were solid in helping to keep a clean sheet, and when Arteta felt that things needed to be freshened up, it was Hale End star Myles Lewis-Skelly who got the call-up from the bench to offer some more control and bite to the side. He was excellent too, and helped prove that Arsenal have the best squad in the league.

Arteta then showed that when he wants to change the profile of things in the middle, it's Mikel Merino who he calls upon, as the Spaniard replaced Martin Odegaard in the final stages. But that raises the question about what Martin Zubimendi's role is these days.

A Data Table Depicting Minutes played this season for Arsenal Including Declan Rice, Myles Lewis-Skelly, Bruno

World Cup Winner is 5th Choice at Arsenal

Martin Zubimendi vs Athletic Club

It's crazy to think that a World Cup winning midfielder is currently fifth-choice at a Premier League club, but that is the situation that the Spain international finds himself in currently.

After joining from Real Sociedad in a £60m deal last summer, Zubimendi established himself as a regular. But he quickly got leggy and eventually lost his place in the team, and Arsenal simply haven't missed a beat without him.

That should be worrying for him, as even with a busy schedule and rotation, Zubimendi has played less minutes than every other Arsenal midfielder this season. The fact he isn't capable of playing in more than one position is also an issue for him, with Lewis-Skelly and Merino able to play at left-back or up front, respectively, if Arteta wants to give them minutes.

There has reportedly been lots of interest in Zubimendi from Spain, and a move away in January may be the solution for everyone involved. If he isn't going to play then there is no point in him being there, and Arteta's decision at Anfield suggests that he isn't going to get much game time any time soon.

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