Journalist Kaya Kaynak has now identified the main issue causing one Arsenal star to struggle to find his best form at the moment.
Arsenal were far from their best as they lost 2-0 to Aston Villa at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday.
Mikel Arteta made some changes to his starting XI ahead of this Premier League clash. Leandro Trossard, Gabriel Jesus, and Oleksandr Zinchenko were named in the team with Gabriel Martinelli, Jorginho, and Jakub Kiwior all dropping to the bench.
None of this incoming trio were able to cover themselves in glory with their performances against the Midlands outfit. Trossard missed a gilt-edged chance to put the hosts ahead in the first half. Meanwhile, Jesus frustrated Arsenal fans with his display.
Zinchenko also endured a difficult time at left-back. The Ukrainian was poor on the ball, as he misplaced a number of passes. The £32 million former Manchester City man never looked entirely comfortable in the game and struggled to contain the Aston Villa attackers who invaded his territory.
The full-back has had a tough season in general. Recurrent fitness issues have hampered his campaign. There is now a concern that Arsenal fans are beginning to turn on Zinchenko and lose faith in his ability to influence the game in the final third whilst remaining defensively solid at the back.
Why is Oleksandr Zinchenko struggling to shine for Arsenal?
Zinchenko has always been something of a defensive liability, and it could be that the team has now evolved beyond him. There is certainly a strong argument that Arsenal need to invest in a new left-back in the upcoming summer transfer window.
However, Kaya Kaynak has now suggested that the biggest issue Zinchenko is facing right now is merely fatigue. Speaking on the Arsenal Beat podcast, the reporter said, “I didn’t think he was necessarily terrible [against Aston Villa]…there were a few moments of that classic Zinchenko thing, where he makes a couple of lapses in concentration and that’s always going to cost him.”
“But, he just doesn’t seem to have the fitness to last for ninety minutes, which is a real issue. There’s no real excuse for that at this level. I know he’s dealing want injuries and stuff, but I don’t know if you can really account for that.”
Will Oleksandr Zinchenko play against Bayern Munich?
If it is a case that the major thing holding Zinchenko back right now is a lack of match fitness, then that suggests that he ought to be able to get back to his best relatively quickly.
It will be fascinating to see if he keeps his place in the starting XI for Wednesday night’s trip to Germany to face Bayern Munich in the second-leg of their Champions League quarter-final. The German giants carry plenty of attacking threat on the flanks, which would provide a stern test for Zinchenko should he be given the nod to play by Mikel Arteta.