By James Whiffing
Oleksander Zinchenko joined Arsenal from Manchester City in July after he found himself struggling for game time throughout the 2021/22 season. Since the Ukrainian signed he has started the opening two games for the Gunners at left-back, and has been very impressive following his implementation into the team.
The acquisition of Zinchenko has led many Arsenal fans and pundits to question whether the new man will replace fan-favourite Kieran Tierney as the standout first choice in this position after the Scotsman’s injury-laden 21/22 season, with the perception generally that the former City man fits Mikel Arteta’s system better than Tierney.
But how do the two compare?
As we know, Arteta likes to deploy a 2-3-5 when in possession of the ball, with the two full backs inverting to create a midfield three alongside the #6. Having played this role under Pep Guardiola at Manchester City to a top standard, the Ukrainian is no stranger to what is required to excel in it.
Arteta seems to take a particular shine to progressive passers and carriers, with White, Saliba and Partey being good examples of this. Zinchenko loves to take players on or find a line-breaking pass, which is evidenced with his 9.19 progressive carries per 90 and 7.65 progressive passes per 90; both stats that see him ranked in the top 1% for full-backs.
Alongside this, the 25-year-old is technically gifted and very creative, creating plenty of chances for his teammates from his inverted full-back position. The former Citizen averages 3.35 shot-creating actions per 90 and 0.74 goal-creating actions per 90, where he is ranked in the 95th and 99th percentile of full-backs respectively, which shows how dangerous he can be, especially from the half-spaces on the edge of the opposition box.
Another tactical element that is clear when watching the Gunners play is Mikel Arteta’s insistence on having a high and relentless press; Zinchenko is more than capable of doing this too. While he only averages 2.65 pressures in the final third per 90, the Ukrainian makes 0.48 final third tackles per 90 (94th percentile), which is testament to his combative and feisty character.
Indeed, while Arsenal’s new signing seems well-suited to Arteta’s system and tactics, Kieran Tierney does still have strengths that Zinchenko doesn’t possess.
Firstly, the Scotsman has always been defensively brilliant and has proved to be a 1v1 specialist. He tackles 71.4% of dribblers he's faced with per 90 whilst being dribbled past 0.19 times per 90 (both 99th percentile), with just one player dribbling round him for the entirety of the 21/22 Premier League season; a Premier League best.
Additionally, the 25-year-old seems to get a reputation for being a rash tackler. This is far from the case however, with Tierney averaging 0 yellow cards per 90 and committing just 0.34 fouls per 90 (both 99th percentile); he is a precise tackler who has mastered knowing when to commit and when to jockey.
Another positive to Tierney’s game is his ability to play as part of a back three. When playing for his national team, Tierney usually finds himself deployed on the left side of a back three, and is often their standout performer when he plays there. Should Arsenal ever decide to switch to a back three or want to have this option within games, the Scotsman can play on the left side of a three to a very high standard.
It is clear that Zinchenko and Tierney’s play styles contrast, with the former being much more offensive, whilst the latter is much better defensively.
Personally, I think Mikel Arteta should and probably will deploy Oleksander Zinchenko at left back, since he suits the Gunners’ system down to a tee, and can play his position to an elite standard. While he may lack defensive attributes, his elite ball retention and progression skills allow Arsenal to control possession and territory, which limits the time he actually has to spend defending.
However, this does not mean that Tierney’s Arsenal career will come to an end should the Ukrainian start over him. Tierney could be a great option to have when Arsenal play the top sides in the division or against very tricky and direct wingers in teams that will have slightly more of the ball.
The Scotsman can also be used off the bench when there is a lead that needs to be protected. We saw this work during the Gunners’ opening day game against Crystal Palace, when Tierney replaced a tiring Zinchenko and helped his side to weather the ferocious storm of Palace attacks and eventually score another goal to put the game to bed.
Either way, I think Arsenal fans can all agree that we are lucky to have two very good options at left-back for the forthcoming season and beyond, and surely both will have a big role to play in Mikel Arteta’s quest for Champions League football this season.
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