At times last season, Zinchenko seemed to give Arsenal an extra man, moving untracked into midfield to create overloads. When the opposition did follow him, it left Gabriel Martinelli one-on-one against his full-back.

But tactical innovations do not retain the element of surprise for long in the Premier League. Opposition analysts are now well aware of Zinchenko’s party trick. For a long time, the good he offered Arsenal comfortably outweighed the bad. It now feels as if that balance may be beginning to shift.

There are even signs he is becoming less essential to Arsenal’s build-up. Last season, he comfortably led the team for successful passes which end in the final third per 90 minutes, averaging 22. This season he has been superseded by both Jorginho and Martin Odegaard (both 23).

[–] [email protected] 4 points 10 months ago

That sounds about right. For his country, he's a number ten and for us, we're asking for a whole different set of skills of which he falls short. We're all kinda hoping that Timber can be the missing link and finally lock down that left back position because even in terms of what Zinchenko offers going forward, it's not enough, especially right now while his form is in the mud and his confidence is low, causing him to give the ball away cheaply and defensively, he's just not the man of the moment enough.

As we start to look beyond this season, both Zinchenko and Jesus should be listening for offers because neither should be starting many games for us next season if any at all.