Jamie Carragher has now torn into Oleksandr Zinchenko as the Arsenal full-back failed to have an effect on their game at Chelsea and ‘struggled’ up against Raheem Sterling.
The Gunners came back from two goals behind to draw 2-2 at Stamford Bridge last Saturday with an 84th-minute equaliser. Zinchenko also only played the first half of the London derby. Manager Mikel Arteta introduced Takehiro Tomiyasu at the break in place of the 26-year-old.
Zinchenko was even also walking a tightrope in west London from only the 11th minute. The defender tripped Mykhailo Mudryk to deny his Ukraine teammate a dangerous break. It was his first caution in the Premier League this season through eight appearances, starting in six.
Carragher tears into Arsenal’s Zinchenko after struggling at Chelsea
Defending on a yellow card from an early stage helped to see Zinchenko struggle in his one-vs-one battle with Sterling. The Chelsea forward – who Paul Merson feared would cause the left-back issues – often ran free on the wing before Arteta introduced Tomiyasu at half-time.
Carragher also had an issue with Zinchenko’s lack of impact in Arsenal’s midfield at Chelsea. Arteta likes the 57-cap international to leave his left-back role and support the engine room whenever possible. But Zinchenko laboured throughout before taking a seat on their bench.
“We know Zinchenko likes to go into midfield,” Carragher told Sky Sports. “He got brought off at half-time because he struggled with Raheem Sterling. But also he wasn’t really having an effect in that midfield position.”
Arteta was right to replace Zinchenko at half-time last Saturday
Zinchenko offered fleeting signs of his impact at Chelsea to tempt Arteta to replace him with Arsenal trailing 1-0. The defender was sometimes sloppy in possession and gifted Sterling an advantage in their fight after the early yellow card from a possibly needless foul on Mudryk.
Chelsea might have scored early on after forcing Zinchenko to turn over possession, as well. Enzo Fernandez ultimately let the defender off the hook when he curled a shot over the bar in the first minute. It would prove to be a sign of things to come, rather than a rare misstep.
All in, Zinchenko’s first-half display forced Arteta to make the decision to replace the £150k-a-week defender at half-time. His display has also now rightly drawn Carragher’s criticism as the wing-back failed to meet the standards that Zinchenko sets himself at Emirates Stadium.
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