Arteta must axe "unmissably bad" 4/10 flop who may have just cost Arsenal the title

make any changes at the interval. Asked whether he'd made any alterations, the Spanish coach noted: "No, the same. The first half was the same game plan, only the first half we didn’t do because the opponent was pushing being more successful on the pitch as well tactically.

"The second half we tried to continue building up, trying to avoid the press and then trying to maybe find Zaniolo with the long ball, the hold up was fantastic."

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Thus, was this a defeat all of Arsenal's undoing? Quite probably. This was a worrying loss, no visiting team has looked this dominant in N5 perhaps since Brighton last term.

Changes will have to be made, and that starts by pondering what to do with Oleksandr Zinchenko.

Arsenal's biggest underperformer against Aston Villa

This game called for Arsenal's title-winning players, the likes of Zinchenko and Gabriel Jesus to stand up and take the game by the scruff of the neck.

Sadly, they both left the pitch having severely underperformed for Arteta. It's a shame, particularly for Jakub Kiwior who had performed so admirably when his positional colleague had been absent through injury.

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He put in a series of exceptional performances during Arsenal's best run of the season to date. Across handsome wins against Burnley, Newcastle and Sheffield United, the Pole registered a goal and two assists, proving himself a player who can contribute efficiently in the final third.

Being an inverted full-back, we know Zinchenko can do that, but it's defensively where Kiwior looked far more adept. Rarely did he look rushed, rarely did he give the ball away, rarely did he look uncomfortable.

Well, contrast that to the Ukranian's display on Sunday and it's night and day. Handed a dismal 4/10 match rating by 90min for his performance, James Benge of CBS was rather apt with his assessment of the former Man City star's display.

He noted; "the quietly good moments didn’t come close to outweighing the unmissably bad."

That has been the story of Zinchenko's Arsenal career. Yes, he has changed the way Arsenal play, but is it really worth it for an error-stricken player who consistently cedes possession? Arguably not.

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He set the tone for a crazy end to the clash when he gave the ball away on the edge of his own area to Youri Tielemans who struck both bar and post with a dazzling effort from the left of Villa's attack.

That wasn't the only nervy moment for the 27-year-old. Just look at the clip below.

While the rest of Arsenal's backline is well-organised, Zinchenko has been dragged wildly out of position. He just doesn't appear to be on the same wavelength as some of his colleagues.

This was a dark old day for Arsenal and once the season is said and done, could be an afternoon they look back on with anguish. This should be the last chance for some players as regular starters, namely the Ukraine international. Takehiro Tomiyasu or Kiwior must be given an opportunity against Bayern on Wednesday.

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