Why did Oleksandr Zinchenko miss Arsenal’s draw with West Ham?

Oleksandr Zinchenko has been a revelation in north London this season, and his presence was sorely missed as Arsenal drew 2-2 with West Ham on Sunday afternoon. 

Zinchenko has had a few injury issues this term and missed a prolonged spell before the World Cup break with a calf issue. However, he had started every single Premier League game in 2023 before the weekend’s clash at the London Stadium.

The Ukrainian was pictured on the sidelines, with Mikel Arteta explaining before the game why his unicorn of a full-back would be missing the game.

Why did Oleksandr Zinchenko miss Arsenal’s draw with West Ham?

Zinchenko was absent from the matchday squad entirely as Kieran Tierney earned a rare start. Explaining the former Manchester City star’s absence pre-match, Arteta told Sky Sports: “He had a muscular issue at the end of the match at Anfield last week and he struggled in the last few minutes.

“We assessed him, he wasn’t fit enough to play and that’s why we have good players like Kieran [Tierney] to replace him,” the boss added.

Zinchenko was withdrawn in the closing stages at Anfield after he’d been nutmegged by Trent Alexander-Arnold in the build-up to Liverpool’s late equaliser. The Ukrainian then wasn’t pictured in training at the start of the week, but very few expected Arteta’s inverted full-back to be out of action on Sunday.

Nevertheless, Zinchenko’s tight groin isn’t set to keep him out for very long and he should be back in action on Friday night when the Gunners host Southampton.

Tierney performed pretty well in his place on Sunday, but the Scottish international’s influence in possession is incomparable to Zinchenko’s. Tierney notched 66 touches, completed 45 passes (only one of which was progressive), and ended the bout with a 77.6% pass completion. Those figures pale in comparison to the Ukrainian, who averages 90.2 touches per 90 minutes in the Premier League this season, as well as 70.6 completed passes (9.85 of which are, on average, progressive), and a pass completion of 87.5%.

While Tierney may be the superior defender, Zinchenko’s importance when Arsenal have the ball is distinct and his return will be welcome against the Saints.