Slavia Prague - Arsenal: High stakes with the 'REZ' trio

04/11/2025 09:39:00 GameGladiator

Arsenal is earning admiration for their remarkable performance from the Premier League through to the Champions League. Yet, it would be a significant omission not to highlight the synergy among the midfield trio "REZ" (Rice-Eze-Zubimendi).

Maintaining rhythm in midfield is not a novel subject at Emirates Stadium. However, Arteta faced many challenges in refreshing the midfield until he signed two new players in the summer: Martin Zubimendi from Real Sociedad and Eberechi Eze from Crystal Palace.

Key components for Arsenal’s midfield

These additions are more than just technical upgrades for Arsenal’s midfield. The duo brings balance, improved tactical awareness, and greater unpredictability to the midfield, making it harder for opponents to anticipate their moves. They also mitigate the impact when captain Martin Odegaard is sidelined, which occurred after the 2-0 victory over West Ham a month ago, with the Norwegian midfielder expected to return only at the end of this month.

Odegaard’s absence unintentionally allowed Arteta to find the best midfield formula, enabling Arsenal to win every match in October across all competitions. This involved positioning Rice, Eze, and Zubimendi together in a 4-3-3 formation, with Eze occasionally playing as an advanced number 10 in the 4-0 Champions League win against Atletico Madrid and the 1-0 Premier League victory over Crystal Palace.

This approach gives all three midfielders the chance to showcase their strengths and excel in each game. In last weekend’s match against Burnley, Rice was instrumental by delivering a corner that led to Gyokeres’ opening goal and then scoring himself to double the lead. This earned him more recognition despite his main role being the midfield enforcer and leader. In the previous round’s win over Crystal Palace, Eze demonstrated why Arsenal invested £67.5 million to sign him by scoring the only goal against his former team. The former Crystal Palace player is the most important creative force in Arsenal’s midfield due to his impressive dribbling skills and daring decisions that confuse opposing defenses. What about Zubimendi? Although he hasn’t added to his tally since his brace against Nottingham Forest nearly two months ago, the 26-year-old midfielder is still highly regarded for his ability to dictate the game’s pace.

The two new signings, Eze and Zubimendi, have enabled Arsenal to develop a fresh and unpredictable midfield.

Arsenal requires a strong midfield to compete for titles

The REZ trio not only brings a new dynamic to Arsenal’s midfield but also creates ideal space for other positions to shine. For example, Riccardo Calafiori occasionally moves inside from left-back to add numbers in midfield during the 2-0 win over West Ham. In the 5-0 victory against Leeds, Rice’s agile movements opened up space for Gyokeres up front. The Rice-Eze-Zubimendi combination is not about controlling midfield possession but about generating organized chaos with direct passes and rapid transitions to create clear chances for the forwards. Arteta’s message through this setup is clear: every movement is purposeful, forming a tactical symphony that transforms into victories in every match across competitions.

Unfortunately, Zubimendi will miss the away game at Slavia Prague partly due to a muscle issue following the Burnley win and also because of suspension after accumulating enough cards during the qualifying rounds. Arteta need not worry too much about the absence of the Spanish midfielder, as he can rely on Christian Norgaard or Mikel Merino to play alongside Rice and Eze in Arsenal’s midfield. Building a solid midfield is the final piece for Arteta’s Arsenal to become a squad ready to claim the Premier League crown after several missed seasons and to advance deep in the Champions League, supported by a rock-solid defense and a reliable striker like Gyokeres.

Hanh Mai

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