Neville criticises £60m Arsenal star's form, urges Arteta to address midfield issues

The critique followed Arsenal's tense 1-0 victory over Newcastle on Saturday night that saw them return to the top of the table. 

An early goal from Eberechi Eze was enough to send the Gunners back to the top of the Premier League table, but the performance was far from convincing.

Mikel Arteta's side endured a nervy evening, with goalkeeper David Raya called upon to make several crucial saves as Newcastle consistently threatened. 

Among those who found it difficult to impose themselves in the game was Zubimendi, who joined from Real Sociedad last summer.

After a strong start to his Arsenal career, the Spanish international's form has noticeably declined in recent months, prompting Neville to single him out for criticism.

"I thought at the start of the season that Zubimendi was a great signing," Neville said on The Gary Neville Podcast. "He's been a good player for Arsenal, but right now I was expecting that this would be where Zubimendi would be the player."

"You think of what (Andrea) Pirlo is or Paul Scholes or Rodri or Bernardo Silva—the player who can dictate play in a game like this, get Arsenal on the ball, organise and get them with authority, and he's not demonstrating that. He's struggling in the games and he has done for a few weeks now."

"It felt to me today that Zubimendi, Rice and Odegaard got outplayed by that Newcastle midfield," Neville observed. "They were far better than the Arsenal midfield."

He elaborated on the structural problem, noting how the positioning of the three players can become congested. 

"(Martin) Odegaard does it better," he added. "Odegaard went deeper (today), but the problem is when Odegaard goes deeper, (Declan) Rice then goes deeper and Zubimendi is already deep. Then you've got three players, or certainly two in deep areas. You can't have that."

Neville concluded that the performance leaves Arteta with questions to answer. "So a bit of thinking for Mikel Arteta to do in terms of his midfield, how they can control games, show authority, keep the rhythm of the passing."

Despite the criticism, Zubimendi has been a mainstay for the Gunners, starting 33 of their 34 Premier League matches and making 50 appearances in all competitions this season.