Arsenal beat Bayern Munich in the Champions League on Wednesday with Declan Rice shining as Martin Zubimendi perfectly allowed him to make an impact
22:39, 26 Nov 2025
Declan Rice has spoken highly of Martin Zubimendi after Arsenal’s Champions League win over Bayern Munich(Image: Declan Rice speaking on TNT Sports)
Declan Rice has heaped praise on Martin Zubimendi with the Arsenal summer signing allowing him to take on a freer midfield role that was clear to see in their Champions League win over Bayern Munich. The England international was exceptional on Wednesday evening with Zubimendi key to his display.
The latter played a huge role in Arsenal’s opener as he won the corner that was headed home by Jurrien Timber. Vincent Kompany’s side fought back through Lennart Karl with the Gunners struggling to take control.
Rice and Zubimendi soon solved that in the second half though, with the hosts completely dominant which eventually led to substitutes Noni Madueke and Gabriel Martinelli scoring.
Despite not picking up a direct goal contribution, Rice was awarded player of the match with Martin Keown specifically referencing Zubimendi’s presence when it comes to his dominant midfield performances.
Rice told TNT Sport: “Yeah, it’s been so easy to play with him [Zubimendi]. We only signed him in the summer and usually it takes a while to build a connection.
“But from the first moment we had together in pre-season, I could just tell that I was going to play some good football with him.
“I just really liked him as a person and as a player. As the games have gone on, our understanding of each other has been outstanding. He’s such a nice guy.
“He is the Spain no.6 and we know what Spanish no.6s are like. They are the best at first phase build up, turning on the ball and playing forward, playing into pockets and that is exactly what we’ve got with him.
Declan Rice has revealed how Martin Zubimendi is drastically helping him and Arsenal(Image: (Photo by Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images))
“We all trust him with the ball. If there is a player on you, it is just easy to give him the ball and we all feel so confident with him. He has been so good for us – an unbelievable player.”
Perhaps the only negative on a superb night for Arsenal was Leandro Trossard’s early withdrawal. A calf problem left him requiring treatment before he headed straight down the tunnel after being taken off.
With a huge Premier League clash against Chelsea to come this weekend, Arteta will be eager to have him available despite recently welcoming Madueke and Martinelli back into the fold.
Injuries are still impacting the Gunners however, with Viktor Gyokeres, Kai Havertz, Gabriel Magalhaes and Gabriel Jesus all currently unavailable.
On an imminent return for the latter, Arteta recently stated: “It’s about making the steps day-by-day in a different surrounding. He’s been doing everything on his own.
“Now he’s got very competitive players around him, and let’s see how he copes with that. But he’s full of energy.”
