#11 | Oleksandr Zinchenko - 2020/21 Performances

[01cravend]

He's always posted good tackle numbers, he engages people near him rather sit off them. Cancelo is the same, they average like double the amount of tackles than Walker and Mendy.

 

[Tricky_Trev]

We have dicked Chelsea (A), United (A), Arsenal (A), Liverpool (A) and Spurs (H) with Zinchenko at left back, scoring 16 and conceding 3. Time to just say it as it is... Zinchenko is not a midfielder, he’s a left back. And he’s our first choice.

 

[Henri Regnault]

LB is absolutely needed. We cant go season after season without proper LB. We would be even better with top class natural LB. Never stop improving.

Thats exactly the kind of thinking our board takes after PL win. Stop improving.

I don't know why some people are convinced we need a "proper" left back. It's like they have blinders on and can't unsee Zinny as a "makeshift" or "midfield" LB. This was an issue before Zinchenko solved it. He is a left back. He's been playing there for years.

By replacing Mendy with a natural LB you maybe get a different kind of player allowing Pep more variety in big matches but IMO replacing Sergio is more important to giving Pep a variety of options than replacing Mendy.

 

[Beanhead]

We have dicked Chelsea (A), United (A), Arsenal (A), Liverpool (A) and Spurs (H) with Zinchenko at left back, scoring 16 and conceding 3. Time to just say it as it is... Zinchenko is not a midfielder, he’s a left back. And he’s our first choice.

Yep.

 

[bluesclues123]

He was outstanding defensively today, so so calm

 

[Ric]

He’s been quietly excellent for a while now. Proving many of us wrong, week after week.

 

[worsleyweb]

He’s been quietly excellent for a while now. Proving many of us wrong, week after week.

yes I had written him off. First class.

 

[Manchester_lalala]

Pep has worked his magic and made a makeshift left back into a reliable first team starter. I’ve often thought he looks a little bit nervous, but today you could see he had so much confidence in everything he did. Seems to have got stronger too.

 

[Mr HJ]

We look a much better balanced team with him at the moment - playing in Pep's system is more like being in his natural position - having more touches and not being told to just motor up and down one side - I can't believe how good his tackling and heading have become. Credit to him, he has improved to another level defensively and is worthy of being first choice. So glad he didn't move and people forget he's still relatively young. Great attitude too.

 

[Vicious111]

Zinchenko has been an absolute force this season and seems to have done something similar to what Stones has. I don't know if it's better defensive coaching or what his secret is, but everything the guy touched today was pure gold, and has been for a while.

I've always liked him and don't get the criticism he was getting. He played a vital part in our Centurion season before being dicked about with Mendy coming in. Happy for him.