The Gunners are unbeaten in the league this season. They haven’t been at their best, but they are getting the job done, which is the most important thing. Zinchenko, however, has come under a bit of criticism recently.
Angry Mikel Arteta shouted at Arsenal star Oleksandr Zinchenko
A few fingers were pointed at Oleksandr Zinchenko following Arsenal‘s defeat to RC Lens in the Champions League on Tuesday.
Many believe the Ukrainian gives his opponents a lot of free space to exploit because he tucks into midfield instead of staying in a conventional fullback’s position.
Although there is a lot wrong with that assessment, it has to be said that Zinchenko plays a high-risk-high-reward kind of role at Arsenal.
Mikel Arteta trusts him to do that, but there have been times when the Gunners manager has lost his cool with the Ukrainian, who he signed for an initial fee of £30 million last year (talkSPORT).
Analysing Zinchenko’s role, The Athletic published an article this week in which they claim that Arteta was not happy with his left-back’s defending last weekend.
“Alex… just f—— do it!” Arteta apparently shouted at Zinchenko because he was too slow to press the Bournemouth winger.It’s not entirely Zinchenko’s fault
Zinchenko’s role at Arsenal is one of the biggest reasons why Arsenal have been such a dangerous side since the start of last season.
Yes, the freedom he’s given to move infield frees up space for the opponents to exploit, but that’s not entirely Zinchenko’s fault, is it?
When the Ukraine international did the same thing last season, Granit Xhaka often covered for him. This time around, Arsenal have Kai Havertz in that role, who doesn’t offer much defensively.
Arteta has got to find a way to change that – especially in the game against Manchester City tomorrow. If they don’t, Pep Guardiola‘s men likely will take full advantage.
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