'Not at the level': £32m Arsenal player said to have really struggled in pre-season defeat to Liverpool

Mikel Arteta watched his Arsenal side round off their pre-season tour of the USA with a defeat to Liverpool in Philadelphia.

Arsenal began the match well but soon conceded to Mohamed Salah – a familiar story for the Gunners when facing the Egyptian over the years.

Liverpool then doubled their lead before half time, for Kai Havertz’s strike in the 40th minute to then be the last of the game.

All in all, it has been a positive experience for Arteta and his team stateside, who have shared some valuable minutes around the squad whilst impressing in moments.

Interestingly, and unlike Emile Smith Rowe, Eddie Nketiah who is nearing an Arsenal exit did get 15 or so minutes off of the bench in the win, perhaps suggesting that there’s still work to be done in agreeing a deal with Marseille.

That being said, although he didn’t feature last night, Arsenal will soon have Riccardo Calafiori at their disposal – which could be a big boost on Thursday morning’s evidence.

Oleksandr Zinchenko struggles against Mohamed Salah yet again for Arsenal

Starting at left-back in a fairly familiar back four, Zinchenko struggled against Salah in the first half, as noticed by journalist Kaya Kaynak who was covering the game for football.london. 

Zinchenko delivered a performance which was something of a microcosm of his last two seasons at Arsenal.

Mohamed Salah #11 of Liverpool and Alex Zinchenko #35 of Arsenal fight for the ball at Lincoln Financial Field on July 31, 2024 in Philadelphia, Pe...

The £32m-defender was strong in possession, able to dictate play with the ball at his feet, but was often caught out defensively – and was at fault for Salah’s goal.

Kaynak gave Zinchenko a 5/10 for his efforts in the first half, saying it was a display that won’t do anything to inhibit Calafiori’s pathway into the starting eleven.

He shared: “Typical best and worst of Zinchenko. Some superb switches of play, but defensively not at the level.

“Lost Salah for the goal. Not a display that will stop Calafiori’s pathway into the first team.”

Of course, TBR Football did share in July that Arsenal would be prepared to sell Zinchenko this summer.

At the time, Arsenal intended to keep Jakub Kiwior but were also happy to sell Kieran Tierney – a revamp of their options on the left.

And with Calafiori already making himself popular at Arsenal, it’s becoming harder to see a way back for Zinchenko.