Arsenal: Charles Watts praises “brilliant” Oleksandr Zinchenko

The Gunners were very impressive away from home on Sunday afternoon as they claimed a big victory against bitter rivals Tottenham Hotspur.

Bukayo Saka forced the opener when his cross deflected off Hugo Lloris for an own goal before Martin Odegaard then fired in from long range to double the club’s lead before half time.

That was enough to seal a 2-0 win and despite the obvious contributions of the two players involved in the goals, Watts took the time to individually laud the efforts of Zinchenko.

Who should start at left-back?

Oleksandr Zinchenko

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Kieran Tierney

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Super signing

Zinchenko arrived at Arsenal from Manchester City in the summer with big expectations having won the Premier League four times already in his career.

So far, he’s lived up to those expectations though, becoming Mikel Arteta’s first-choice pick over Tierney – as proven by the fact that the Scot had to settle for a role on the bench in the derby.

Against Spurs, he picked up a 7.2 match rating on SofaScore – the best out of Arsenal’s back four – and finished the game having won 5/6 ground duels, 4/4 aerial duels, and two tackles; completed 87 per cent of his passes, made two clearances, and pulled off 2/2 dribble attempts.

With all that in mind, it’s little wonder Watts has been so heavy with the praise.