Arsenal star Oleksandr Zinchenko has been subjected to heavy criticism from sections of the fanbase this season, but a lot of it may be unfair.
The 27-year-old has struggled with injuries throughout the campaign but recently returned to start in a 2-0 victory against Luton.
The Ukrainian was criticised after some loose passes, but overall made a strong contribution to the game, with his ability in build-up play helping create the second goal of the game.
He then kept his place for Saturday’s trip to Brighton, in which Mikel Arteta’s side were defensively resolute, and impressive going forward, but again he was highlighted as a perceived concern for his ability in 1v1 situations.
However, a stat has now emerged that vindicates Zinchenko’s display, which was solid overall, even though he has playing with less attacking intent in the last two matches.
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Oleksandr Zinchenko performed well for Arsenal against Brighton
Fans were keen to highlight how Simon Adingra had seemingly gotten the better of Zinchenko, to slate the left-back as a vulnerable member of the back line, but this was not the case at all.
Adingra did have two shots, after completing two dribbles, but both came from unthreatening positions at the edge of the box, with a combined expected goals total of 0.12, and one was blocked whilst the other was nowhere near the target.
Zinchenkolost two ground duels in the entire game, less than Ben White, who lost four, and William Saliba, who lost three, and another stat highlights how Zinchenko was far from the worst culprit when it came to giving Brighton chances.
It turns out, Brighton actually attacked down Arsenal’s right side more than twice as much as they did the left, and White, Jorginho and Gabriel Magalhaes were named as players more involved with giving the home side opportunities.
Is Oleksandr Zinchenko the new Granit Xhaka for Arsenal?
Arsenal felt the absence of Granit Xhaka a lot this season after the midfielder departed for Bayer Leverkusen in the summer, but before his outstanding campaign last year, he was a polarising figure at the club as he split opinion amongst the fans.
Xhaka was often unfairly scapegoated whenever Arsenal would make a defensive area in his zone of the pitch, no matter who was playing alongside him or who actually made the error, and Zinchenko is now experiencing something similar.
Zincehenko’s biggest weakness is his ability to defend 1v1 situations, and it has gotten him in trouble before, with Mohamed Salah scoring from his side at Anfield this season, but getting beaten by the best winger in the league is simply not representative of his overall ability.
Mikel Arteta has previously claimed that Zinchenko’s benefits outweigh his flaws, and these were similar discussions had about Xhaka in years gone by. The former Manchester City star is one of the most experienced winners at the club, and he brings a unique ability to the left-back role which may not be replicated by others, despite his occasional flaws.