Arteta told who should start for Arsenal v Porto, Jakub Kiwior or Oleksandr Zinchenko

Add as preferred source on Google

Journalist Charles Watts has now had his say on if Oleksandr Zinchenko or Jakub Kiwior should start for Arsenal against Porto on Tuesday evening. 

Oleksandr Zinchenko now faces a battle with Jakub Kiwior to get his regular starting berth at Arsenal back.

Zinchenko recently returned from injury and made an appearance off the bench against Brentford on Saturday. In his absence, Kiwior has been impressing in the left-back berth, despite being a centre-back by trade.

Kiwior and Zinchenko are very different types of players. In terms of physicality and styles of play, they have very disparate strengths and weaknesses and perform the left-back role in different ways.

The Ukrainian is a far more assured presence on the ball, and is able to play the left-back role in an inverted fashion. However, Zinchenko is also something of a defensive liability. 

Kiwior, meanwhile, has been allowed to perform his left-back duties in a far more more orthodox fashion by Mikel Arteta. The Polish defender tends to stay wide, and cannot match Zinchenko’s creative influence. However, he is more solid defensively, and his aerial prowess has proven useful at both ends of the pitch. With the 24-year-old staying wide on the left-flank, space has opened up for Ben White to drift into the midfield zone from right-back. The England man has proven very adept at this.

Should Jakub Kiwior or Oleksandr Zinchenko play for Arsenal v Porto?

There have been calls for Kiwior to keep his Arsenal starting spot ahead of Zinchenko due to his recent form. However, when it comes to the clash with Porto on Tuesday evening, there is an argument for giving the former Manchester City man the nod, assuming he is feeling ready for such a task, fitness-wise.

The Gunners are likely to enjoy the lion’s share of possession at the Emirates Stadium. Considering the Portuguese side are coming into the second-leg of this Champions League round of 16 tie with a 1-0 aggregate advantage, the onus is certainly on Arsenal to take the game to the visitors. Porto will likely look to sit deep and frustrate Arsenal. Zinchenko’s craft and guile could prove crucial to unlocking their stubborn defence.

However, Charles Watts has now backed Kiwior to keep his place in the team for this crucial encounter. Speaking on his Inside Arsenal YouTube channel, the reporter said, “I think I would probably err on the side of Kiwior, just because he’s playing well right now, I don’t think he really deserves to lose his place in the team. I think he’s giving enough going forward in that position…especially if Zinchenko isn’t 100% fit.”