Arsenal made several changes in their victory over Luton Town on Wednesday, with rotation key in the Premier League title race.
Mikel Arteta took a gamble and put Reiss Nelson, Emile Smith Rowe, Thomas Partey and Oleksandr Zinchenko back into his starting lineup for the first time in a while.
Whilst Smith Rowe shone and was awarded the player of the match, Nelson was quiet overall, with Partey performing well but still showing signs of physical decline, and Zinchenko drawing mixed reviews.
Zinchenko perhaps did not do enough to earn his starting place back from Jakub Kiwior, and whilst he has praised the competition for places in the Arsenal team, he did do something in his performance against Luton to try and show that he can still be the starting left-back for Arteta.
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Oleksandr Zinchenko adapted his game in Arsenal victory over Luton
Speaking on the Handbrake Off Podcast, former Gunner Adrian Clarke highlighted how Zinchenko actually impressed defensively, with an extra focus on his play at the back, but did not push forward to join the attack.
“I thought Zinchenko defended really well actually. He’s got a good spring (jump), he defended inside the box really well, I think he read play excellently, he picked up a lot of loose balls.
“I think he had a pretty good game. What also stood out, was how little he got forward. I thought that was unusual. It was almost as if he was out to prove that he could be a nice solid defensive option, because that’s what Kiwior is.”
Has Zinchenko been unfairly criticised by Arsenal fans?
Zinchenko is a unique player within the Arsenal squad for his ability on the ball, and he brings a level of technical excellence to the inverted left-back role which Kiwior cannot.
Kiwior and Takehiro Tomiyasu, have both been selected ahead of Zinchenko at times when facing a tricky winger, or extra aerial threat, as the Ukrainian’s perceived weakness is his 1v1 defending.
Against Luton, he held his own in this regard, and it was his clever forward passing which ultimately led to the second goal. He tucked into midfield and helped dictate play in the absence of Jorginho, and he also showed that he can defend well when needed.
Whilst Tomiyasu and Kiwior may be better picks against speedy wingers, Zinchenko will definitely be useful for the rest of the season, and has taken a lot of criticism from Arsenal fans, not all of which is entirely fair to him.