Pundit Kevin Campbell has lauded Oleksandr Zinchenko for his quality and how important he is to Arsenal, after their 3-0 win against Oxford United in the FA Cup.
It’s hard to disagree with Campbell, as Zinchenko seems like the archetypal Mikel Arteta left-back since his arrival from Man City.
Of course, that does not come as a surprise as the Ukrainian was deemed fit for the role by Pep Guardiola himself, after initially signing for the club as a midfielder.
At City, Oleksandr Zinchenko was one of the most integral cogs to a side that went on to dominate English football.
The same now goes for Zinchenko at Arsenal, as was evident in his 31-minute cameo against Oxford United in the FA Cup.
The £150,000-a-week defender’s excellent short passing, enviable technical security and unrivalled ability to break the lines stood out right from the get-go.
While Kieran Tierney remains a top left-back, he simple can’t compete with Oleksandr Zinchenko in a more inverted role.
And it is this very profile that Mikel Arteta favours in his possession-based system.
Now, a high-profile pundit has credited the 26-year-old for how key he has become.
Pundit Kevin Campbell on how important Zinchenko is to the Arsenal style of play after FA Cup cameo
Pundit Kevin Campbell has emphasised just how crucial Oleksandr Zinchenko is to Arsenal, after his bright cameo against Oxford United in his side’s 3-0 win in the FA Cup.
“[Oleksandr] Zinchenko, I’m telling you guys, he is so good for the team.”
“And Kieran Tierney too didn’t have too bad a game [against Oxford United in the FA Cup], he was alright. I thought the defence was the one that was keeping us in it.”
“But you see when Zinchenko and [Granit] Xhaka come on, we just dominate the ball”, the pundit told Highbury Squad.
Pundit Kevin Campbell could not be any more spot on, as Oleksandr Zinchenko is so key to how Arsenal and Mikel Arteta’s vision manifests itself, as was evident in their latest FA Cup triumph.
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