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Tony Adams points Zinchenko as a ‘complete weakness’

By Ritayan Chatterjee on December 11, 2023

Arsenal legend Tony Adams has claimed that Oleksandr Zinchenko could be a ‘complete weakness’ for the North London club.

After starting the season slowly, the Gunners managed to climb themselves up to the top of the league. But, after losing to Aston Villa last weekend, Mikel Arteta’s side have now lost out their league leader status to Liverpool.

Arsenal have accumulated 36 points from 16 games, sitting only one point behind the Merseyside club, while the Villans are third with one less point than the Emirates club.

Arteta’s side displayed a promising performance versus Aston Villa last time out and created a lot of chances. However, they couldn’t finish those off and eventually lost the game 1-0.

Speaking on Premier League production after the game, Adams says that Zinchenko is a positive player for Arsenal with possession – which is a great strength for Arsenal.

However, the pundit states that the Ukrainian could also be a ‘complete weakness’ for Arsenal defensively as he plays in the left-back position, but he never stays in that area and comes in-field. So, the opposition capitalise on that space to hurt Arteta’s side.

Arsenal legend says Zinchenko is a ‘complete weakness’

Adams said:

“Zinchenko is a great positive player for us. In possession of the ball, he can be such a strength. He pops inside. We were laughing off air. Everyone is playing at left-back, other than Zinchenko. There is a massive channel that is vacated by him playing inside all the time. But he can be a complete weakness.”

Zinchenko plays a key role in Arsenal’s possession-based system. When he comes in-field, Gabriel Magalhaes has been given the responsibility of filling the Ukrainian’s void on the left-hand side. However, it is apparent that Zinchenko lacks the defensive qualities and he can be a liability at times when Arsenal don’t have the possession.

Arteta has used the Ukrainian pretty well after signing him last year and the former Manchester City star has established himself as an integral player in the Spanish boss system.

However, the Gunners don’t have an alternative option to Zinchenko at the moment. So, I think Arsenal should explore the market and sign a proper backup option for Zinchenko. However, it is going to be interesting to see whether Arsenal eventually opt to do that next year.