Oleksandr Zinchenko’s performance has become a hot topic of discussion following Arsenal’s defeat against Liverpool.
The Gunners wrapped up their pre-season tour of the United States with a draw against Bournemouth, a win over Manchester United and now, a 2-1 loss to Liverpool. However, all in all, it has been a positive outing ahead of the start of the new season.
Against Liverpool late on Wednesday night, a number of Arsenal players showed their quality, but a few of them will be disappointed with their displays.
One such player is Zinchenko, who had a mixed game at left-back.
The Ukraine international was outstanding on the ball like he almost always is. He produced some glorious passes, inverted really well and helped Arsenal in possession.
However, Zinchenko, disappointingly, was at fault for both of Liverpool’s goals, and those errors could have a serious impact on his future.
Arsenal fans react to Oleksandr Zinchenko’s performance vs Liverpool
Zinchenko is among the best players at Arsenal in possession, but as a left-back, he needs to be a solid defender as well at this level. Sadly, he will want to forget his defensive display against Liverpool.
The Ukrainian was out of possession for Mohamed Salah’s goal and he was caught ball-watching when Fabio Carvalho ran behind him to score.
Arsenal fans are far from impressed with Zinchenko’s performance.
One Arsenal fan tweeted: “They cooked me for saying Zinchenko is the weak link. He is an absolute liability at the back.”
Another said: “Zinchenko is an absolute disaster!”
“Zinchenko one v one with Salah can never happen next season,” wrote another.
Some Arsenal fans think Zinchenko’s defensive woes can be solved by playing him as a midfielder in the 2024/25 season.
One supporter tweeted: “Zinchenko shows why he’s so frustrating in the buildup to that goal. So often when he’s on the ball he does something really impactful. He just can’t defend. At all. Can he play midfield? Would Mikel try?
“Frustrating to watch, maybe move Zinchenko to midfield coz he cannot defend to save his life,” said another fan.
Another fan tweeted: “Just put Zinchenko in midfield already, he’s good there. Let’s stop with this LB thing”
Should Arsenal use Zinchenko in midfield?
Zinchenko is naturally a midfielder and regularly plays there for his country.
The Ukraine international’s ability on the ball is fantastic, and using him in midfield could help Arsenal unlock stubborn low blocks next season.
However, there are a couple of big problems.
Firstly, Zinchenko is not great in duels. We all know how important winning physical battles are for Arteta. The Ukrainian just can’t do that.
The other problem is his vulnerability in defensive transitions. If Arsenal lose possession and are at risk of being counter-attacked, Zinchenko is the last player you would want in the middle of the park trying to stop it.
On paper, Zinchenko in midfield may seem like a good idea, but we just can’t see Arteta using him there in the 2024/25 season.
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