The signing of Oleksandr Zinchenko might possibly be one of the smartest deals the club could have made this summer. Competitors, no back-ups.
This was my feeling toward every player Arsenal needed to sign for the senior squad. Whether it was someone to go alongside Aaron Ramsdale, Kieran Tierney, Martin Odegaard or Thomas Partey, whoever came in needed to be as good as if not better than the existing starters.
Turner is coming to compete with Ramsdale, and Fabio Vieira will push Odegaard to be his best or lose his place. Zinchenko has shown time after time his quality at left-back and will battle with Tierney for a starting spot.
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However, his midfield versatility shown typically whilst playing for Ukraine means he can also compete with Xhaka, Partey and company. Those with doubts however should be encouraged to look back at last season’s Champions League clash between City and PSG.
Pep Guardiola had not initially planned to throw Zinchenko into the game. An issue with Phil Foden left the Spanish coach looking for potential options and so he opted to play the Ukrainian and could not have spoken higher of his performance.
“No [we didn’t have time to practice],” Guardiola said at his post-match press conference. “But we know each other quite well, the principles and what we have to do. They are smart enough to make some adjustments.
“Oleks today was new to the position, but in the national team, he plays in midfield. He made good actions and helped us, because he is intelligent, to defend well.
“It’s a long time ago since he played there. I would say he almost never plays this position.
“It was not easy to find the spaces. The first few minutes were uncomfortable but after that, he played much better.”
Positionally, despite operating in the left number eight position with Rodri and Ilkay Gundogan, he dominated the advanced areas of the field. Linking with Joao Cancelo and Raheem Sterling regularly to break the Parisian defence down.
As shown in the graphic below, only Riyad Mahrez and Bernardo Silva occupied slightly more advanced roles until the new Arsenal man Gabriel Jesus came off the bench. Playing on the left, he aided the total 21 attacks to come down the left flank, more than double that of the right-hand side.
His numbers for the game were very good. He completed 91% of his 22 passes across the 54 minutes he was on the field.
These passes ranged from intricate pieces of play with those around him, patiently waiting to find the space for the cutting ball. He also added three passes into the box, with a whipped cross only narrowly dealt with by the PSG defenders.
At the other end of the field, he completed all three of his defensive duels, made one interception and recovered the ball on two occasions – both times in the opposition’s half. He was eventually replaced by Jesus as City looked to turn the game, but his impact was not forgotten.
The Arsenal Way recently spoke to Manchester Evening News’ chief City reporter Simon Bajkowski. He brought up the game as an example of the Ukrainian’s versatility which prompted this deep dive.
“He rarely played defensive midfield for them, but he got pushed in there last season against Paris Saint Germain and ran the game. So, he can be trusted,” said Simon.
A competitor at left-back for sure. However, do not write off Zinchenko’s chances of bossing the Arsenal midfield just like he can and did for City and especially Ukraine.
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