Glenn Hoddle has praised Arsenal duo Oleksandr Zinchenko and Martin Odegaard by stating that they have been ‘excellent’ for Mikel Arteta.
The former England international also added that Arsenal are ‘stronger’ defensively compared to last season, in which Zinchenko has played a big part.
The Gunners secured the talents of the versatile player from the Premier League champions Manchester City in the summer and he slotted in at left-back straightaway.
With Kieran Tierney injured, at the time, Arsenal didn’t really miss the Scotsman that much because the levels between the two are pretty similar.
And now, ironically enough, it’s the Ukraine star who is on the sidelines after he and Odegaard missed his side’s 3-0 win at Brentford over the weekend.
Nonetheless, it just goes to show the depth Arteta now has to work with, as Hoddle praised two of their star players, as he told Premier League Productions.
“I think they are stronger defensively than they were last season,” said Hoddle. “They will miss Zinchenko and Odegaard because I think they have been excellent for Arsenal.”
WHO STARTS TIERNEY OR ZINCHENKO?
Arsenal will welcome their bitter rivals Tottenham Hotspur after the international break and it will be interesting to see who Arteta starts at left-back.
During the opening weeks of the Premier League season, Zinchenko served the Arsenal boss very well, but now Tierney is getting back to his best.
There could always be the option to play Zinchenko in the middle of the park, but there is no way he dethrones the in-form Granit Xhaka and Thomas Partey from their starting spots.
Either way, all of this is a much-needed headache for Arteta because one of the big differences from last season is the bench getting stronger.
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