The crazy idea of ​​the artet. Is Zinchenko able to become a rescuer of Arsenal?

The impression is that Michelya Arthut is pursued by a football slide. As soon as the Spanish coach has a more or less real opportunity to seriously compete with Arsenal for the title of England’s champion, as a bunch of various problems falls on the team, which is to deal with the most responsible, in terms of championship battles, the moment.

Here and now Arsenal, which has actually remained the only real competitor for Liverpool in the fight for the “gold” of the APL, has experienced serious personnel problems. It has come to the fact that Arteti has no banal to put in the center of the attack. In January, a severe knee injury was given to Brazilian Gabriel Zhezus, and in early February, the German Kai Havertz dropped out, which seriously damaged the hamstril. Both left by the end of the season, but at least by the beginning of April, due to various injuries, Artet will not be able to count on Bukayo Saka with Gabriel Martinelli …

Against the backdrop of the large -scale personnel crisis, which was in the attack of the Canonors, the press was talking about the fact that Arteti would have to resort to extremely not obvious or even to some extent crazy decisions. One of them may be to try as a 28-year-old Ukrainian Oleksandr Zinchenko as a Centrepartard, a nominal left defender.

And although the most likely candidate to play in the Arsenal attack center experts see 30-year-old Leandro Trossard, almost all experts agree that Arteti will still have to arrange a rotation at least from time to time, since the Belgie He has repeatedly experienced problems with the popliteal tendons, and excessively intense levels of protrusions can lead to health problems with him.

Theoretically, Artet could use the positions of Michely Merino’s Central Forward or Declan Rice, but the first is obviously lacking technical qualities in some aspects of the game in order to be successful in this role, and the second is so important for the “canonicals” in the center of the field that all kinds of experiments around him. In the role of “nine” do not look too appropriate, but from that – unlikely.

With Zinchenko, history is completely different. First, the Ukrainian ceased to be an important figure in the first team of Arsenal on the position of the left Fulbeck. In the current APL draw, Alexander spent only 240 minutes in the framework of 8 duels, and last appeared on the field as early as January 15, spending safely on the bench in the bench of four recent matches of “Canonicals” against Aston Villa (2: 2), Vulverhampton. (1: 0), Manchester City (5: 1) and Lester (2: 0). Secondly, at the dawn of his career, Zinchenko played in an attack, which he publicly stated in late 2022: “When I started, he was an attacker myself [центральним]. Then I was the far left striker, then a midfielder, now left defender. Maybe I finish as a central defender or goalkeeper! ”

Getty Images/Global Images Ukraine. Alexander Zinchenko Certainly, the fact that in the process of evolution of his career Zinchenko moved from the position of the Central Forward to the left flank of defense clearly characterizes one thing: Alexander lacks the qualities in order to be extremely successful on the edge of the attack, at least at the highest level, where the Ukrainian man managed and then fix. But in the specific situation in which Mikel Artet and his “Arsenal” found himself, it will not be pointless that Zinchenko is able to be far from the worst (and perhaps even ideal) for Londoners at the position of the Central Garden.

Zinchenko will not act as a traditional “nine”, but will provide a large amount of technical work and the ability to keep the ball high in the field in pressure situations, which are very useful qualities for the attacker. Alexander is quite capable of becoming someone who is sometimes called “false nine” – a centerpartard, which in itself is not stopped on blows and scored balls, but performs huge volumes of work, often shifting from a position, thereby bringing additional chaos and The fuss in defensive construction of the opponent.

Yes, Zinchenko was extremely infrequent for his professional career directly at the center of the attack. In particular, there are only five matches on Wyscout when Alexander played at the edge of the attack. They are dated 2016-2017, and in them the Ukrainian spoke for the country’s youth team, as well as for the reservists of the PSV and spent 48 minutes in the center of the attack in one of the Manchester City sparring, where he decided to try the Guardiola jamper in an unusual role. Interestingly, in the latter case, and it was the summer of 2016, an assistant in the famous Catalan in the state of “locals” was already Mikel Artet, so purely theoretically the current current coach of “Arsenal” can remember that experience and seeing the option with Zinchenko on the edge Londoners’ attacks as one of the most real.

However, Zinchenko’s statistics, when he acted in the center of the attack, is very and very decent, even when compared to the same indicators in Kai Havertz and Gabriel Zhasus:

In particular, the eye immediately falls as far as Zinchenko is more able to work than the German and Brazil, and is still surprised that Alexander’s average performance is not actually inferior to what Havertz demonstrates. Moreover, Zinchenko actually scored more times than he could count on the theoretical indicator of the expected heads (XG). Although, of course, it is worth making a small statistical layout for Alexander.

However, with what the Ukrainian has a full order, it is with the number of actions on the field, performed and received. And here the situation is stable and confirmed, even if you include in the sample of the match, where Zinchenko had to act on the flanks of attack. In addition, Alexander is technically well suited to the role of “false nine”. He is at times less receiving the ball directly in the opponent’s penalty area, than the Havertz and Zhezus do it, preferring to depart a little deeper, but it opens the space for the maneuvers to the flank attackers. Thanks to this, Zinchenko is more focused on playing partners, which clearly illustrates such an indicator as “stroke”, where Alexander has almost a fourfold advantage over Haver and Zhasus.

It is obvious that Zinchenko is unlikely to be a sensationally successful solution to the problem that has arisen at the Center for Arsenal attack. The Ukrainian will have to get used to new tactical requirements, a different role and functions on the field, but in general, such an experiment is where Alexander can help canonira and Arteti. It is at least important that with the transfer of Zinchenko right now on the edge of the attack by Spanish coach will not have to “patch holes” in other positions, since the Ukrainian will essentially ensure the use Fulbeck.

Will Artet dare to go to such an experiment? It seems that the Spaniard simply has no choice, and he will soon be obliged to make such a decision. Well, the best for Zinchenko and the national team of Ukraine, for which it is critical to her key players-managers OINERRS had a stable game practice in club teams.