The importance of Zinchenko and Saliba to Arsenal’s control

The injury of William Saliba caused mass panic among Arsenal fans last month, and with Arsenal dropping points against Liverpool and West Ham, that meltdown has been elevated, but the loss of Oleksandr Zinchenko has further added to the problem.

Recent reports from Football London have said that Saliba could return for City, and is desperate to return, while Zinchenko’s absence at West Ham was listed as precautionary.

The importance of Zinchenko and Saliba to Arsenal’s control

It is hoped that the Ukrainian will be back for Arsenal for Southampton, as losing both him and Saliba in one fatal swoop had a big impact on the team’s ability to control the game against West Ham on Sunday.

At their best this season, Arsenal have played an extremely high line, with Saliba and Gabriel only being bested by City’s centre-backs in terms of passes completed in the opposition half.

Alongside this, the pair complete the most accurate passes per game in the Arsenal team, with Saliba completing 62.9 (91% accuracy) passes per game, and Gabriel 56.8 (90% accuracy) per game, which shows just how important they are for ball retention.

Next on the list is unsurprisingly Oleksandr Zinchenko who completes 56.7 (88%) passes per game and also tops the pile for the most touches per game (81.8), with Saliba closely second.

These stats showcase just why the pair are so important. They are always available to receive the ball, with Zinchenko’s always finding himself in close proximity to his defenders and midfielders to receive. Most importantly, when they receive it, they don’t lose it.

The pair have won plaudits from all directions because those skills are so incredibly unique, and that is why it is so difficult for Arsenal to operate without them. Rob Holding and Kieran Tierney are not bad players. Tierney in particular, has been one of the club’s best players in recent seasons.

But, Arsenal have evolved at a rapid rate, many thanks to Saliba and Zinchenko’s arrivals, and when they’re out, you’re asking players to do things they cannot, and have never been asked to do. It’s not a knock on them. You can see they’re trying to carry out Arteta’s instructions, but their games are not that technically advanced.

On Sunday, it was extremely noticeable with Thomas Partey’s actions. Partey didn’t have his best game and made several errors, but on reflection, Zinchenko’s absence was extremely noticeable, particularly with West Ham’s first goal.

When Partey received the ball, there was no clear pass to play, and he opted to lift the ball over Rice, in his usual high-risk high reward style, which ultimately failed. On another day, Zinchenko is five yards away waiting to receive and they move it around Rice with ease.

Arsenal will be hoping for Zinchenko to return against Southampton, as Tierney doesn’t offer the same control, and if Saliba comes back against City, they will be much more confident of playing a high line at the Etihad, with an element of control that Rob Holding can’t provide.