Liverpool and Arsenal transfer target analysed

Powered by

Martín Zubimendi was close to signing for Liverpool in the 2024 summer transfer window, only to decide he would instead remain at Real Sociedad. Nonetheless, rumours subsequently persisted that he could yet move on from San Sebastián in the near future. Whether that is wishful thinking on behalf of would-be suitors – also said to include Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal – remains to be seen. What is certain, is that the interest in Zubimendi’s future is a reflection of his quality as a holding midfielder.

Born in San Sebastián, as a local boy he has been with Sociedad since joining their academy as a 12-year-old. Having served his apprenticeship with the club’s reserve teams, he made his La Liga debut in 2019, at the age of 20. A year later he won his first major trophy, the Copa del Rey, before picking up an Olympic silver medal with Spain in 2021.

By the time Euro 2024 came around, he was very much a part of the national-team squad, making substitute appearances in the semi final against France, and the final success over England. Fresh from that achievement, Liverpool came calling – but to no immediate avail. Below, our UEFA-licensed coaches have analysed the technical and positional aspects of Zubimendi’s game that have made him a sought-after player.

Technical analysis

Martín Zubimendi is a right-footed midfielder who has played in a deeper pivot role for the majority of his senior career, following a brief spell as a number eight in his breakthrough season. With the ball, he can control the tempo and rhythm of deeper build-up, where he is comfortable receiving against pressure. The key to his passing success has been consistent, small readjustments to his movements, always looking to make angles, supportive movements and subtle runs to help maintain possession. Where possible, he will also break the first line of the opposition’s press or block.

His subtle movements see him drift away from opponents, giving him more time as he receives the ball. As with the best pivots, he often appears to have more time than anyone else on the pitch. That is key to playing this particular position, from which he can maintain possession with the back line, or penetrate into players positioned between the lines (below).

The detail in Zubimendi’s short passing is impressive. He typically finds teammates with passes at an optimal angle, ideal weight and on the correct foot. This helps his teammates to better maintain possession, while also showcasing the variety of his passing, including progressive play.

Zubimendi’s individual duelling is also noteworthy. He is aggressive, assertive and fully committed to leaving his space, or man, to compete for possession. He has good timing with his jumps from the back line to apply pressure in midfield, supporting counter-pressing. As he does this, he also intelligently covers passing lanes to limit forward-passing opportunities, as opposed to simply blindly running at the ball.

When positioned deeper, he provides good overall protection of the central spaces – an important asset for a lone pivot. He duels in the air to an impressive standard and, when leaving the spaces ahead of the central defence, can be aggressive in the tackle (below).

Zubimendi is also developing his passing range. He already possesses the technical capabilities to play accurate longer passes, although these should come with more variety at times. A single pivot should ideally be able to accurately find all members of the front line, plus any supporting runners from deep. Sociedad haven’t regularly played longer passes since Zubimendi has featured, but his positioning doesn’t always allow for the lengthier pass away from pressure. Because of his constant readjusting and ability to connect with teammates close by, his ability to switch play, open the pitch or attack the spaces behind a high back line has been limited.

When he has adjusted his movements away from the ball – by moving slightly backwards – opportunities to step on to the ball have been more available. This enables him to play both shorter and longer passes (below), and he certainly has the technical capability to increase his passing range. He may need to refine his movements for this element of his game to appear more often.

Single pivot

For the majority of Zubimendi’s career, he has operated in a single-pivot role. Between the 2020/21 and 2023/24 seasons, his coach at Real Sociedad, Imanol Alguacil, often used either a 4-3-3 or a 4-4-2 diamond shape. As a result, Zubimendi was deployed at the base of the midfield, with at least two number eights ahead. As these eights were often positioned quite high, Zubimendi had to play clever passes around corners, first-time bounces, or use quick play to work the ball away from pressure. The likes of Mikel Merino, David Silva and Brais Méndez have operated between the lines, receiving quick passes from Zubimendi to instigate attacking play.

He has also shown an ability to skip the eights and find the front line instead. This allows for combinations higher up the pitch and more penetrative attacks via connections into the central forward (below), or a winger inverting. Zubimendi naturally had more central passing options in a 4-4-2 diamond. The presence of an additional central forward and a number 10 allowed Zubimendi to progress the ball centrally, breaking lines.

His role in this diamond structure, however, had more emphasis on duelling and defending, especially with both full-backs advanced. His defensive output increased dramatically whenever there was minimal wide cover during defensive transitions, or when Sociedad were defending for prolonged periods. Between the 2020/21 and 2023/24 seasons, Zubimendi ranked in Sociedad’s top three for defensive duels. In the 2022/23 season – when the 4-4-2 diamond was used – he ranked first for defensive duels.

Double pivot

Zubimendi has occasionally had a pivot partner – notably in the 2021/22 campaign, when he often played alongside Merino. When Sociedad have used a 4-2-3-1 shape, Zubimendi has connected with the nine and 10 pairing, as part of a central box shape. There, the wingers would run beyond and attack higher, with the full-backs supporting inside (below).

This allowed Zubimendi to run forward more off the ball, especially when his pivot partner dropped deeper, or when he was positioned too far away to impact the ball. He has shown a willingness to get forward after releasing the ball, to offer a one-two. Such forward movement has also helped him draw defenders away from his receiving teammate, allowing them to attack 1v1 – a particular plus for the wingers.

Without the ball in a 4-2-3-1, Zubimendi has had licence to be more aggressive in his pressing and duelling. With a pivot partner able to cover, he was more readily able to commit to supporting a higher press. But he still protected central spaces well, often being the one to back-press and cover around his centre-backs, whatever phase of the game.

There is no doubt it was a major boost to Sociedad when he decided to stay, rather than sign for Liverpool. But given the level of his performances, it is unlikely the transfer talk will go away any time soon.

Want to know more about football tactics and learn how to coach from the very best? Take a look at the Coaches' Voice Academy here

Author: The Coaches' Voice