Oleksandr Zinchenko started with the ball at his foot, in the center circle. The dribbling was daring because only two Arsenal players protected him from a possible loss of the ball. With a fake back pass Zinchenko left the first opponent from Everton FC, then he rounded a second and a third. At the end of his start Zinchenko was no longer in his usual position on the left back, but on the right front – which resulted in a majority for Arsenal there. For the newspaper Mail it felt like seeing that game scene “through a mirror”.
After a short circulation of the ball with two of his colleagues, Zinchenko got the ball again and, after turning around his own axis to orient himself, he picked up the pace again. This time, however, he no longer outplayed opponents, but pushed the ball into the interface with Bukayo Saka in front of the penalty area, precisely like a putt in golf. He picked up the template and slammed the ball into the goal in the 40th minute to make it 1-0 for Arsenal. This broke the resistance of the guests who had been stubbornly defending up to that point. However, experts would have believed the decisive maneuver in front of the opening goal to be more of an offensive skill than Zinchenko.
The 26-year-old Ukrainian has been one of the most underrated players at Premier League leaders Arsenal, but that is likely to change after Wednesday night’s catch-up game. In the 4-0 win against Everton, who were in danger of relegation, Zinchenko was the best of many good Arsenal players and was involved in three goals – as a left-back. Zinchenko is one of those who can create “magical moments” on the pitch, praised coach Mikel Arteta, because he “takes the initiative” and doesn’t wait for others to do it. The assist to 1-0 was officially only his second submission of this league season. But that is less due to Zinchenko than to the statistics, which only evaluate immediate goal preparations.
The Ukrainian was also the trigger for captain Martin Odegaard’s 3-0 (71st minute) with a risky attack through the centre. And when Gabriel Martinelli made the lead to make it 4-0 (80th minute), who had already made it 2-0, Zinchenko delayed his brilliant pass behind the defense until the team-mates got into position. Because of his playing skills, Zinchenko is “unpredictable” and always “a danger” for the opponent, says Arteta. The analysts agree that Zinchenko is “difficult to tame” within the Arsenal collective Mail.
With the resounding victory, Arsenal consolidated their top position in the Premier League and now have a comfortable five-point lead over Manchester City. The fact that the Gunners can keep up with the permanent champions this season is due to their dominant game system, which is almost a City duplicate. Zinchenko plays a key role in the implementation.
On the anniversary of the beginning of the war, the Ukrainian is captain for the first time – with a blue and yellow armband
Arsenal released him from City in the summer of 2022 for 35 million euros. There, coach Pep Guardiola had retrained the ball-savvy offensive man over the years to become a left-back who moves into the center to strengthen midfield when the ball is in possession. Although only a few professionals can meet this complex requirement profile, Zinchenko, who also has solid defensive skills, was dispensable in Manchester. Arteta seized this opportunity, because he had once worked with Zinchenko as a city assistant coach. His understanding of the game now helps Arsenal, Arteta believes, because Zinchenko has played “200 times” against walling opponents.
Unlike many of his competitors in this position, Zinchenko has both an excellent passing game and the gift of dribbling to open up space himself. This makes Arsenal’s build-up game flexible. The fact that he continues to play in attacking midfield in the national team helps him to use his advances correctly and not to get hectic around the penalty area. Arsenal also benefited from this against the predominantly destructive Everton.
Arsenal, whose teams were considered too soft for years, does Zinchenko’s mentality just as well. At the beginning of the season, this was expressed in his then presumptuous expectations of playing for the championship. On the pitch, he shows a high level of commitment and emotionality, and the young players at the Gunners can use his experience as a guide. The sports magazine The Athletic recently wrote that Zinchenko is Ukraine’s talisman, Guardiola’s darling – and now Arsenal’s leader.
A week ago, Zinchenko was Arsenal captain for the first time. As that matchday marked the anniversary of the start of Russia’s war of aggression, the league decided that all captains should wear an armband with Ukraine’s blue and yellow national stripes as a sign of continued solidarity with Ukraine. After consultation with Arteta, Arsenal’s actual captain Odegaard gave this special armband to Zinchenko of Ukraine. The club now depicted this beautiful gesture on the cover of the stadium booklet for the match against Everton.
It was also documented in pictures that Zinchenko is much more than just a left-back for Arsenal. He then confirmed this once again impressively on the field.
