Oleksandr Zinchenko has faced criticism for his defensive performance, particularly his role in Lens’ winning goal against Arsenal in the Champions League. Zinchenko has sometimes been questioned for his defensive contributions, and these lapses can have consequences, as seen in the match against Lens.
As Arsenal pushed forward in search of a winning goal, Lens capitalised on opportunities to counter-attack when they regained possession. In a crucial moment, with the score tied at 1-1, Lens initiated an attack, and Zinchenko was found out of position, ultimately leading to Lens’ winning goal.
Critics, including Michael Owen, have pointed to Zinchenko’s defending as a factor in Arsenal’s defeat in the match. Defensive lapses can be costly in high-stakes games, and Zinchenko’s performance came under scrutiny in this particular instance.
Owen said, as quoted by the Daily Mail:
‘Zinchenko is halfway house, isn’t he?
‘He has to either get close and affect the ball – either tackle or bring the player down or something – or he stays where he is.
‘But he can’t give himself away so easily. Sluggish. As soon as he was played around: sluggish.
‘We were talking before, he often gets brought off in games. Can he last games fitness-wise and stuff like that? He looked tired there when Lens played the one-two pass.’
Just Arsenal Opinion
We have never expected so much from Zinchenko’s defending and it is public knowledge that the former Manchester City man is not an elite defender.
We must put up with his inadequacies at the back unless we want to buy another left-back who is better, but he may not suit the system of Mikel Arteta.
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