Importance of Oleksandr Zinchenko highlighted in Brighton defeat

The Premier League title has long been slipping away from Arsenal before Brighton finally dashed the dreams of Gooners across the globe with an emphatic 3-0 victory at the Emirates on Sunday. 

While the goals scored by the visitors would’ve triggered “another average goal” sorta response from Frank Lampard post-match had he been in the home dugout, Arsenal can have no complaints about the result which all but handed the Premier League title to Manchester City.

The Gunners, as Roy Keane pointed out in his analysis, looked physically and mentally shot. The aggressive and dynamic Seagulls were simply too hot to handle.

The visitors’ supremacy became distinct in the second period after a tightly-contested first half in which Arsenal arguably created the better openings in transition. Brighton, however, never let the hosts develop the rhythm that defined their season up until the run-in. It was a chess match, and Roberto De Zerbi called checkmate thanks to a couple of subtle alterations in the second half.

Importance of Oleksandr Zinchenko highlighted in Brighton defeat

Arsenal’s 4-4-2 press largely matched up well against Brighton’s 2-4-4 possession structure which ensured that their possession was largely sterile in the opening period. The Seagulls dominated the ball, but Arsenal were compact and aggressive which rendered every build-up sequence an ordeal for De Zerbi’s side.

Brighton’s ‘struggles’, however, convinced the Italian boss that a change was necessary. Thus, after the restart, De Zerbi’s full-backs, particularly Moises Caicedo, drifted infield at a more frequent rate to give the Seagulls greater presence in midfield all while isolating Julio Enciso and Kaoru Mitoma up against Kieran Tierney and Ben White respectively.

The ploy, which perhaps wasn’t obvious live, worked a treat immediately as Brighton had success with a long Levi Colwill pass upfield for Mitoma, who switched over to the left midway through the first half after starting down the right, which culminated in Enciso’s headed opener. That goal, which was so poorly defended by White and naively by Jakub Kiwior, emboldened the visitors, who went on to dominate and eventually ran up the score in the closing stages.

Brighton were impressive across the board, but Caicedo and Pervis Estupinan were particularly pivotal to their triumph. The pair combined for 123 touches, Caicedo registered a game-high five tackles, while Estupinan’s impact in the final third was distinct as he ended the bout with a goal and an assist. The Ecuadorian was let off the leash in the second period as the game opened up.

The dynamic showing of Brighton’s full-backs totally contrasted the uninspiring displays of White and Tierney, who combined for 86 touches – 37 fewer than the Brighton pair.

Tierney’s inclusion was one supporters had been clamouring for in the build-up to Sunday’s game, and Oleksandr Zinchenko’s injury forced Mikel Arteta’s hand. However, in the absence of their masterful Ukrainian, Arsenal failed to assert any control in the game. Arteta reverted to his vintage 4-2-3-1 dynamic with Xhaka dropping deeper and Tierney occupying the touchline, but Arsenal’s lack of control meant the Scot rarely had the opportunity to do any damage in the final third.

One notable occasion when he did bomb on resulted in the best chance of the match for Leandro Trossard towards the end of the first half.

As for White, well, this was probably his worst performance in an Arsenal shirt. If he watched a little more football he might’ve been aware of the dribbling phenom that is Kaoru Mitoma. The Arsenal right-back didn’t seem to treat him with much respect, and he was chucked into the Japanese international’s washing machine along with a long list of Premier League full-backs as a result.

However, we cannot blame Arsenal’s tepid full-backs for the Gunners’ inferiority on Sunday. Multiple factors were at play ranging from the psychology of Man City’s earlier emphatic victory to the fatigue that is undoubtedly inhibiting some of Arsenal’s key men. This season’s been an absolute slog, and unfortunately, the Gunners aren’t going to have any silverware to show for it.

Nevertheless, Sunday’s defeat to Brighton in which Arsenal never gained superiority in midfield and subsequently failed to control the contest highlighted just how crucial Zinchenko is to Arteta’s framework.

The Seagulls fancied themselves against the beleaguered hosts, and boy did they take advantage.