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Aaron Catterson-Reid

Aaron Ramsdale explains how Jorginho has transformed Arsenal dressing room amid 'nervous' claim

Aaron Ramsdale has spoken about how Jorginho and Oleksandr Zinchenko have transformed Arsenal's dressing room in recent times.

The Gunners brought in Zinchenko from Manchester City last summer while Jorginho was added from Chelsea during the January transfer window. Now, Ramsdale has been speaking about their impact on the team, with Mikel Arteta's side currently sitting first in the Premier League standings, two points clear of second-placed City with a game in hand on Pep Guardiola and co.

Speaking about the experienced duo via the Mirror, the England international said: “These are people which us young boys can tap into their minds. They have won major things and, when we have had a tough week where we lost, it could be quite easy for some of us young boys to feel nervous.

READ MORE: Arsenal star to 'decide' his future at end of season amid recent transfer exit links

“That’s probably what it was in the first 45 minutes (against Aston Villa) maybe. We just got told to go back to basics, play our game, and that’s what happened.

“It’s good for them to get on the scoresheet, Alex needed to after the first goal. You see the passion which those two show and with only being at the club for a month and six months. It shows what group we’ve got.

“He (Zinchenko) brings a completely different dimension to our team, allows us to play in a way which we want to. He has been there and done it.

“He has got four out of five Premier Leagues, so he knows what it takes to win. He has been brilliant. You see the passion he has got and he’s only been here a couple of months. He is a huge part of our group.”

The 4-2 win over Villa on Saturday was a dramatic one, to say the least. Unai Emery's men lead twice before Zincheko made it 2-2 in the second half, galvanising the north London outfit to grab a third and fourth through an own goal and a Gabriel Martinelli finish in stoppage time.

However, Ramsdale admitted the end-to-end nature of the game is not something that you want as a team vying for the title. He added: “It was a classic for us in the wrong reasons.

"Take out the first 45 minutes where we didn’t perform to an Arsenal team [level] or a team that is fighting for a league title. The second-half we can be so proud of.

“The way we played, the way we raised our levels, scored goals, competed. For an overall game it was a great game, but for us in the first 45 minutes we had lots to improve on. Of course, we are very happy to go back down the road with three points.

“For me, it’s probably one of the worst ways we can win because we pride ourselves on defending, keeping clean sheets and that’s from the No9 to the No1, and the staff.

“Of course, it’s an amazing feeling now we are in the dressing room but there will be some truths spoke in the week about how we can improve and what we need to do better in the coming weeks.

"In different games, if we don’t show that level of performance in the second-half, a 2-0 or 2-1 head start for the opposition team could mean no way back. We don’t want to be giving teams head starts.”

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