Most Arsenal players looked quite comfortable tonight as the Gunners eased to a straightforward 2-0 win over Luton.
The north Londoners were rarely troubled, having 58% of the possession and 13 shots to Luton’s five tame efforts.
However, there was one Arsenal player who Clinton Morrison felt struggled at times against the relegation threatened Hatters…
Clinton Morrison noticed Oleksandr Zinchenko struggling
Well, the Sky Sports pundit noticed that Andros Townsend caused Oleksandr Zinchenko some difficulty in tonight’s Premier League clash at the Emirates Stadium.
The Ukraine international was making his first start for the Gunners since the 3-1 win against Liverpool on Sunday 4th February, and did look quite rusty.
There was one moment where Gabriel Magalhaes could be seen shouting at Zinchenko, after the Brazilian had to come over to the left and cover for his teammate, who left Pelly Ruddock Mpanzu free to surge into the box.
Speaking live on Sky Sports while covering the game, Morrison said: “Credit to Luton. They’ve got up the field. Townsend is causing Zinchenko problems down that side.”
Of course, the Arsenal No.35 has recently missed four Premier League games with a calf injury, and will need time to regain his form.
However, it was still a below par performance from Zinchenko, a top player who should be able to do better against an 18th placed Luton side – even if not at 100% fitness.
Jakub Kiwior will be pleased after Arsenal 2-0 Luton
Had Zinchenko delivered a truly exceptional performance, Mikel Arteta might have been tempted to hand him an important role against Bayern Munich next week.
However, Jakub Kiwior – the man who has shone in the £32m Ukrainian’s absence – is surely going to start against the German giants in that huge UEFA Champions League clash.
With all due respect to Zinchenko, struggling against a 32-year-old Townsend is not the best audition for a UEFA Champions League quarter-final tie against the likes of Leroy Sane and Jamal Musiala.
With Kiwior on the left, Arsenal look a lot more solid, even becoming the first side since 2021 to stop Manchester City scoring at the Etihad Stadium with the Poland international at left-back.
Selfishly, the Arsenal No.15 will surely be pleased that Zinchenko didn’t really threaten his place in the team against Luton.
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