Oleksandr Zinchenko says Arsenal are fortified for the Premier League title run-in by their unbeaten record in this season’s competition against Liverpool and Manchester City.
The Ukraine left-back started for the first time in two months as Arsenal beat Luton 2-0 at home on Wednesday night to follow up Sunday’s 0-0 draw at City. Zinchenko’s previous appearance in the starting XI had been in the 3-1 home win over Liverpool on 4 February when he was forced off at half-time with a calf injury that would ensure he missed the next five matches.
Arsenal beat City 1-0 at home in October and drew 1-1 at Liverpool just before Christmas, with Zinchenko acknowledging the head-to-heads as a major reason for optimism at his club in the three-way battle.
“Yes, I won’t lie to you, 100%,” Zinchenko said, when asked whether Arsenal’s results against their direct rivals gave them greater confidence. “Because it shows that we are ready to fight for it [the title] and we are ready to compete with the best teams in the world.
“Was it a psychologically important result at City on Sunday? Yes, definitely. It’s not easy to play against City away and also Liverpool away. It shows that Arsenal are ready to fight for it.”
Arsenal showed a different face at City, Mikel Arteta organising his team in a low block, ceding possession but giving up precious little in terms of chances.
They were back in proactive mode against Luton, too good for their injury-ravaged opponents, despite Arteta making a season-high five changes to his lineup.
Zinchenko came in for Jakub Kiwior, who had started every previous game at left-back since he replaced Zinchenko against Liverpool in that February win. “It is good for all of us and the team as well that we have good competition in each position,” Zinchenko said. “All of us need to fight and work hard to deserve this opportunity to play every single time.”
It was interesting to hear the Luton manager, Rob Edwards, suggest Arsenal were the most complete of the title challengers. “They give no chances away,” he said. “They limited City to very little.
“It is clear how they attack but it is difficult to stop as they are there in good numbers and they can suffocate you, as well.
“Maybe of the three teams that are fighting they can play any game – physical, football, running, they have the personality and answers. They have no weaknesses.”
Arsenal travel to Brighton on Saturday and it looks as if their destiny will be shaped by how they fare on the road– they must also visit Wolves, Tottenham and Manchester United. Their remaining home games are against Aston Villa, Chelsea, Bournemouth and Everton.
