Tim Sherwood has claimed that Oleksandr Zinchenko is ‘one of the best players’ at Arsenal, even though he was absent through injury during his side’s win over Liverpool on Sunday.
The former Premier League boss added that someone like Gabriel Martinelli is also getting ‘better’ under Mikel Arteta and that Arsenal are the ‘real deal’ in the Premier League, as he told the Weekend Review (10/10/22 at 3:15 pm).
Those three points over Liverpool kept Jurgen Klopp’s men in tenth place, but most importantly, it moved the Gunners to the top of the table.
After beating Tottenham in the north London derby last time out, the most recent win against Liverpool was perhaps a bigger statement of intent.
First of all, it widens the gap between both clubs – now 14 points – and perhaps signals that the tide is about to change in the Premier League.
Of course, Manchester City are still the top dogs, but could their nearest challengers now be Arsenal, instead of Liverpool? well, a former Tottenham player is certainly impressed by what he’s seeing.
“It was a footballing lesson (Arsenal’s win over Spurs),” said Sherwood. “The result was quite kind on Tottenham. I thought they could have been a lot more convincing.
“Then you go and play Liverpool and you think ‘now is the time for an acid test. This is the one. Even though Liverpool aren’t going great’. But I thought they were good. I thought they were very, very competitive.
“But they can dig in. They can weather storms and get into their rhythm again. I think they are absolutely outstanding. Did I just say that out loud? I really do think that they are the real deal. They are a young squad of players. A young manager that are going places.
“The signings have been fantastic. Saliba has come in from a loan spell in France. Zinchenko is one of the best players they have. He was missing (against Liverpool). But they coped without him. Jesus has been a revelation and Martinelli is getting better. Where do you stop? At this moment in time, it’s going well for Arsenal and I am really impressed by them.”
ARSENAL MOTORING FORWARD
Things just continue to get better and better for Arsenal, and whilst those in the stands should enjoy what they are seeing, those on the inside need to keep their feet on the ground.
These early stages have been pretty impressive by the north London club, but their biggest of biggest tests will come during the second half of the campaign.
That’s when Arsenal well and truly messed up their chances of securing Champions League last term.
And come March, if they are in a situation like that again, then the bottle of this young, yet ever-progressing Arsenal side is going to be tested.
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