Arsenal fans now all saying same thing about Oleksandr Zinchenko after Liverpool

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Oleksandr Zinchenko was a liability at the back for Arsenal against Liverpool.

Liverpool star Mohamed Salah was able to cut inside Oleksandr Zinchenko far too easily in the process of scoring his equalising goal against Arsenal on Saturday evening. 

Of course, stopping the Egyptian attacker is far easier said than done. There is also a case to be made that Gabriel Magalhaes ought to have been quicker to come across and support the Ukrainian left-back.

However, Mikel Arteta will certainly be disappointed that Zinchenko did not do more to prevent the winger from shifting the ball onto his favoured left foot and firing past David Raya. 

On top of that moment, though, there were further concerns surrounding Zinchenko’s performance. The 27-year-old is always confident on the ball, but he was guilty of giving it away in dangerous positions on a number of occasions. These lapses are not out of character for the former Manchester City man, either. He has previously drawn criticism for being regularly sloppy in possession in his own defensive third. 

Arsenal fans have say on Oleksandr Zinchenko display v Liverpool

Had he been fit, Takehiro Tomiyasu would have surely started this match in order to deal with the threat of Salah. Equally, summer signing Jurrien Timber may also have been considered, but he is also sidelined. Arteta clearly did not have enough faith in Jakub Kiwior to hand him the start on Merseyside. 

The manager will now be even more reluctant to line up Zinchenko against top class attackers in future. Signing defenders ought to be the north London club’s priority heading into the January transfer window. Arteta may well have a solid left-sided defender at the top of his shopping list.

Plenty of Arsenal fans were unhappy with what they saw from Zinchenko at Anfield. Taking to X, one said, “zinny is a flat out liability.” Another described him as the “Worst player in the squad.”

One supporter urged Arteta to take action, saying, “We really need a left back urgently.” Another bemoaned the absence of some other players, saying, “just have to admit Zinchenko is clearly a weak link in our defence. Timber, Tomiyasu need to come back quick, please.”