Sky Sports commentator Seb Hutchinson has shared a “big piece of news” coming from the Arsenal camp for today’s Premier League clash.
What’s the story?
Well, the Gunners are hoping to maintain their position at the top of the Premier League table as they aim to take three points against Leicester at the King Power Stadium.
Ahead of the game, Hutchinson told listeners that Oleksandr Zinchenko would actually be captaining Arsenal today, as a mark of respect one year on from the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Hutchinson did not explain why the Ukraine international would be taking the captain’s armband, although thankfully, we can share why that is the case from another source.
Mark Mann-Bryans, a journalist covering Arsenal, revealed that it was actually Martin Ødegaard who decided to hand Zinchenko the captaincy for today’s clash with Leicester.
There is clearly a very strong team spirit at the Emirates Stadium, partly due to Mikel Arteta offloading the likes of Mesut Özil and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, and today’s update is further evidence of that fact.
Arsenal need this unity in Premier League title race
Many will look at this and feel it is not a significant update.
However, small moments like this can have a huge part to play over the course of a season.
Football is not just about who has the better players – you need unity, togetherness and a desire to fight for one another out on the pitch.
After Ødegaard’s heartwarming actions today, you can be sure that Zinchenko will be there for the Norway international against Leicester and beyond.
That can have a knock-on effect, with Arsenal’s already strong spirit growing even deeper as respect for Ødegaard enhances throughout the squad.
If Arsenal are to wrestle the Premier League title away from Manchester City, they will need all hands on deck.
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