3 tactical tweaks Arsenal must make without Oleksandr Zinchenko

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - APRIL 26: Bernardo Silva of Manchester City and Oleksandr Zinchenko of Arsenal during the Premier League match between Manchester City and Arsenal FC at Etihad Stadium on April 26, 2023 in Manchester, United Kingdom. (Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images)
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - APRIL 26: Bernardo Silva of Manchester City and Oleksandr Zinchenko of Arsenal during the Premier League match between Manchester City and Arsenal FC at Etihad Stadium on April 26, 2023 in Manchester, United Kingdom. (Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 3
Next
3 tactical tweaks Arsenal must make without Zinchenko
3 tactical tweaks Arsenal must make without Zinchenko /

2. Playing a 4-2-3-1

Arsenal have thrived all season with a lone six, but a major reason for that is down to Zinchenko popping up in that inverted role to give Thomas Partey, Saliba and Gabriel passing options.

Without Saliba and Zinchenko, Arsenal have been destabilised, resulting in Arteta playing a double pivot against Newcastle, and Granit Xhaka dropping in to protect Jorginho and the back four, which worked a treat.

In Moises Caicedo and Alexis Mac Allister, Brighton have two contrasting midfielders that have a lot of energy and move the ball quickly through the middle before going wide to their wingers and full-backs in the final third.

Without Zinchenko to cover that space in the middle, Arsenal need a body, and Xhaka has proven his worth there, with Tierney then adding a much more solid option as a one-on-one defender.

Continued on the next slide…