Arsenal’s double pivot has helped propel the Gunners’ season as they show no signs of slowing down. Mikel Arteta’s men thrashed Sunderland 3-0 in their last Premier League match last weekend at the Emirates Stadium, which took them to 56 points in 25 matches.
Manchester City’s thrilling 2-1 win over Liverpool last Sunday took the Citizens up to 50 points, which still means that Arsenal are six points clear of them.
The Gunners’ current form makes them the favourites to win the Premier League title, and it has been made possible by the exceptional performance of the two players in Arsenal’s double pivot.
Arsenal’s Double Pivot: The Midfield Duo Running The Show
Both Declan Rice and Martin Zubimendi are in splendid form for the Gunners at the moment.
Rice has scored four goals and registered seven assists in 35 matches this season as he has been one of the best midfielders in the league for quite a while now.
However, the ascent of Zubimendi to prominence in his first season in England has been an added incentive for the Gunners.
Zubimendi has six goals and two assists in his 34 matches for the club so far, which makes him one of the most successful players in his position in the league.
The Gunners have sparingly used Mikel Merino in Arsenal’s double pivot when either of the two aforementioned players has been absent.
The Spaniard has been quite good for them, but the form of Rice and Zubimendi has meant that the former has been mainly used as a substitute, and Arsenal’s double pivot of the aforementioned midfield duo has largely stayed intact.
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Arsenal’s Double Pivot: Key In Goal Contributions
Both Rice and Zubimendi have regularly scored from passes delivered from out wide with shots from the edge of the box.
It has been a common pattern in their goal-scoring, with Zubimendi also proving to be useful with his headed goals from aerial deliveries.
While the opposition defenders have been busy marking Arsenal’s forwards, the two defensive midfielders have often made use of that and gone on to score goals.
Unless a team plays with two defensive midfielders itself, they find it really difficult to contain the twin threat of Rice and Zubimendi.
Rice is an exceptional deliverer of the ball from free-kicks, and that makes him an even more valuable player for the Gunners.
Mikel Arteta’s men have often had to break down the resolute defences of opposition teams, and Rice and Zubimendi have thus helped immensely in doing the same to maintain Arsenal’s current form.
As of now, the two holding midfielders have emerged as the difference between the Gunners and the other teams.
If we look at Rodri and Bernardo Silva of Manchester City, Ryan Gravenberch and Alexis Mac Allister of Liverpool and Moises Caicedo and Reece James of Chelsea, none of them have had the effect of Rice and Zubimendi in terms of scoring goals.
If the Gunners go on to win the Premier League title, the role of Arsenal’s double pivot might prove to be really critical.
Arsenal’s form has been the envy of other teams, and both Rice and Zubimendi are more than playing their parts in maintaining it as the Gunners chase down their first Premier League title in over 20 years.
Main Photo
Credit: IMAGO/Paul Marriott
Recording Date: 07.02.2026
