£150k-a-week Arsenal star’s flaws make £20m man vital to Arteta this season

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Arsenal left-back Oleksandr Zinchenko struggled against Chelsea and was replaced by Takehiro Tomiyasu at half-time.

To a man, Arsenal were below par at Stamford Bridge on Saturday. Oleksandr Zinchenko was just one of a number of the north London club’s stars to underperform in the opening 45 minutes. 

The Ukrainian defender was removed from proceedings at the break. He has been targeted by the Blues as a weak link in the Gunners’ rearguard and picked up a booking. After the match, Mikel Arteta told BBC Sport that he took Zinchenko off due to him being on a yellow card.

At his best, the £150,000-a-week former Manchester City man dictates the game for Arsenal. Drifting in-field from his full-back berth, Zinchenko pulls the strings for the Gunners.

Takehiro Tomiyasu’s natural game is not similar to Zinchenko’s, but the £19.8 million 2021 signing has shown an extraordinary ability to adapt in his time at the Emirates Stadium. He has played all across the back line under Arteta, and is reliably solid wherever he is on the pitch.

Takehiro Tomiyasu proving a perfect foil for Oleksandr Zinchenko

The 24-year-old is now making a strong case for left-back being his best position. He is willing to invert in a Zinchenko-esque manner and is able to cover the ground quickly to get back into his starting position when needed.

Whilst he is solid on the ball, and improving in this regard, he is not a natural playmaker like Zinchenko. He makes up for this by being a much more solid defender. He wins his duels, doesn’t get beaten easily in one-on-ones, and dominates in the air.

For all his attacking quality, opposition teams seem to be targeting Zinchenko as a defender with greater regularity. When he has the likes of William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhaes, and Ben White forming the rest of the defensive unit alongside him, it makes sense that he would be considered the potential soft spot.

Arteta may well start leaning on Tomiyasu more and more to counteract this.

Zinchenko is an excellent player, and has received plenty of plaudits. He will continue being a key player for Arteta. However, expect Tomiyasu, if he can stay fit, to become more prominent as the season goes on.