Zinchenko and right-footed Zinchenko

In the 4-0 win against Everton, Zinchenko’s exceptional vision and passing abilities enabled him to create the chance for the first goal from the right side of midfield, demonstrating why Arsenal brought him to the team.

Despite being labeled as a left-back, he spends most of his time in central areas, which makes him difficult to stop, as evidenced by Everton’s inability to do so. According to Arteta, Zinchenko’s mentality and quality add unpredictability to the team and generate a lot of threat when they are in possession.

Arteta pointed out Zinchenko’s strength after the victory against Everton, “He has played those kinds of games, against low blocks, 200 times and that’s very helpful.”

It is clear from his 109 touches and 31 passes in the final third, that the Ukrainian captain has taken Arsenal to another level this season.

GunnerBanana’s POV

GunnerBanana believes that the team should search for a right-sided player who can replicate Zinchenko’s abilities.

Arsenal may struggle to defend against fast right-sided wingers during opponent counterattacks if Zinchenko is caught out of position.

To mitigate this risk, one solution could be to play a right-sided player similar to Zinchenko, with a reliable left-back like Tierney or Tomiyasu. As evidence, we can recall Tomiyasu’s successful containment of Salah in Arsenal’s 3-2 victory over Liverpool on October 9th, 2022.

It is worth noting that Zinchenko was originally signed as a number 10 for £1.7m and was converted to his current position during Arteta’s time at Manchester City.

Nonetheless, finding another Zinchenko may be challenging, so the task is in the good hands of Edu and Arteta.

COYG!