He’s here and he’s perfect: Zinchenko can shine in two roles at Arsenal
Neel Shelat
- 23 Jul 2022 08:34 CDT
- 5 min read
Arsenal’s summer shopping has taken them to Manchester City once again. After bringing in Gabriel Jesus from his former employers, Mikel Areta has signed up Oleksandr Zinchenko for £32 million (€37.5m).
Much like the Brazilian forward, Zinchenko did not have a guaranteed starting role at Man City but should be a key player at his new club.
In the Ukrainian’s case, though, the big question is which position he will primarily be used in. He was used as a left-back throughout his time at the Etihad but has continued to play in his natural position in midfield for his country.
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Zincheko’s role at Man City
With a greater sample size of his qualities at left-back, that is what we will focus on. His pizza chart makes his exceptional qualities in possession and ball progression quite evident.
Of course, his technical ability and previous experience as a midfielder are big reasons for this, but the context of his role in Manchester City’s system should not be overlooked. Under Pep Guardiola, one of the chief proponents of the inside full-back, Zinchenko has played a variety of roles. Back in 2020/21, he was mostly used either as an auxiliary full-back or inside full-back, but last season Guardiola developed a hybrid role.
In the build-up phase, Pep’s full-backs would stay close to the touchline and provide width, but after that, they would move closer to the half-spaces and stay in line with the defensive midfielder rather than pushing forward and overlapping.
His heatmap shows this hybrid role, as his involvements in the left half-space gradually increase as you go further up the pitch.
Contrast this with a typical left-back like Kieran Tierney, who always stays close to the touchline, and you can see the uniqueness in Zinchenko’s role.
Zinchenko’s role last season naturally had a big impact on his possession play. Most of his ball progression, both through passing…
…and carrying…
…was done going out-to-in because he was asked to stay wide in the build-up phase. His progressive passes were usually targeted towards his midfield team-mates, while his carries took him into the half-space.
However, his passes into the final third typically went the other way as they mostly originated in the half-space and reached the left winger close to the touchline.
Two roles a possibility
Given the nature of the Ukrainian international’s hybrid role at Manchester City last season, he should be able to slot into both the left-back and left midfield position at Arsenal. Although Mikel Arteta usually names his XI in a 4-2-3-1 formation, they play a lot more like a side that uses a 4-3-3 by moving to a 2-3-2-3 shape in possession, with the left-sided defensive midfielder pushing forward.
The former PSV player has experience in a very similar role at left-back but also possesses the technical ability to play in midfield.
Where he will end up playing ultimately boils down to what formation Arteta chooses. If he sticks to the 4-2-3-1, it is likely that Zinchenko will slot into the left of midfield as he is the only player in Arsenal’s squad who has the defensive security as well as the technical quality in the opposition half that this role requires. The other options are either too attacking (including summer signing Fabio Vieira and Emile Smith Rowe) or too defensive (last season’s pick in this role, Granit Xhaka).
However, Arteta could switch to a 4-3-3 shape out of possession too. In this case, the likes of Vieira and Smith Rowe would be options for the left-sided midfield position, so Zinchenko would be better used as a left-back, where he provides better ball progression qualities than Kieran Tierney, who is more of an overlapper, but that sort of a role no longer exists in Arsenal’s system.
Defensively, Zinchenko should not have a problem in Arsenal’s high pressing system, as he played in a similar set-up at Manchester City, leading to a large chunk of his defensive actions being made in the opposition half.
A win-win deal
Just like the Jesus deal, this transfer appears to be a win-win situation for all involved. Arsenal get a quality player who seems a perfect fit for two roles in their system, the 25-year-old Zinchenko is assured a regular starting role at a high-level side as he enters his prime years and Manchester City get a decent amount of money for a squad player.
Arsenal’s squad strengthening has continued with yet another shrewd deal, so now they must certainly consider themselves serious challengers for a top-four spot.
