We appreciate Oleksander Zinchenko’s ability to influence our attack; with his outstanding technical ability, he’s able to drift to midfield, overload it, and give our attacking players the opportunity to attack confidently as we attempt to suck the air out of our opponents. Even with his impact, we occasionally find ourselves questioning his defensive play.
Mikel Arteta will occasionally substitute the Ukrainian international for a defensive-minded player to protect us defensively and see out games. But what if Arteta changes his tactical approach towards Zinchenko? What if, instead of substituting him, he uses him as an attacking midfielder in the left-sided No. 8 midfielder role?
Adrian Clarke, our former midfielder, believes we will benefit more if Zinchenko is pushed to see out games in a No. 8 role, implying that he may start as a left back but finish up switching to playing an attacking midfielder role, a move he feels will positively impact our game.
Clarke argues that the 26-year-old could, as a No. 8, occasionally assist us in creating chances, as he does for his national team, Ukraine, with his progressive pass. He explained to the Handbrake Off Podcast, “In those situations where Mikel [Arteta] doesn’t feel that [Oleksandr] Zinchenko is offering enough defensively, rather than taking him off, I’d rather put him into that left-sided number eight role and keep him on.
“He’s got that progressive pass in him; he’s an unlocker of defences.
“Rather than always take him off when he’s struggling defensively, could we then use him just in a further forward position as that left-sided number eight?
“The bottom line is he’s the one that’s more likely to play that killer pass in the final 15, 20 minutes of a game than anyone else.
“It’s just an idea to throw out there.”
Do you think that’s a tactical move Arteta could make in order to continue to make us unpredictable? Could it be a secret weapon for comeback victories?
Daniel O
JustArsenal Show –
NEO analyses our Win Against Bournemouth and our loss Against Lens…….
CALLING ALL ARSENAL FANS! Anyone who would like to contribute an Article or Video opinion piece on JustArsenal, please contact us through this link…
