“Better in the final 3rd than Odegaard”, “So good technically” - Fans offer rave review of 28-year-old Arsenal star despite 1-1 draw vs Brentford
Fans online were in awe of Oleksandr Zinchenko’s performance in Arsenal's Premier League clash against Brentford on Saturday (April 12). The Ukrainian international spent 62 minutes on the pitch as the Gunners were held to a 1-1 draw at the Emirates Stadium.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta fielded a rotated lineup for the clash, with Oleksandr Zinchenko among five players introduced into the starting XI who had not featured in their previous match.
After a slow start, Arsenal started dominating possession as the game progressed. Kieran Tierney thought he had given the hosts the lead in the 26th minute, but his goal was chalked out for offside, and they ended the half goalless.
Arteta’s side started the second half strongly and found the opener in the 61st minute. The Gunners broke away on the counter from a Brentford corner as David Raya found an advancing Declan Rice. The English midfielder drove forward and found Thomas Partey in the opposition box for a first-time finish.
Brentford, who had rarely threatened in the final third, picked themselves up, and found the equalizer in the 74th minute through Yoane Wissa.
While the Gunners faithful will not be satisfied with the result, some of them singled out Zinchenko for praise. The former Manchester City man played three passes into the final third and completed 26 of 29 passes. Here are some of the reactions below:
"Crying Zinchenko is better in the final 3rd than Odegaard," an X user wrote.
Another tweeted:
“Can’t help but love zinchenko as a player man so good technically."
“Zinchenko is a better #10 than Ødegaard,'' @DaRealDonreal asserted.
“He’s more dynamic it’s no surprise he’s more of a threat,'' @kae1enftbl_ wrote.
“Zinchenko is a better RCM than Ødegaard nowadays ,'' @NSftbl added.
“Can't believe Odegaard has let Zinchenko surpass his level at RCM,'' @PureAngles chimed in.
“We’ve really underutilized zinchenko this season,'' @Moratarse claimed.
“Really impressed with Zinchenko 10. Dare I say the best 10 performance I've seen in a while. Tells you all the level this team can go up when a barely top 4 level midfielder Zinchenko outshines your starting 10,'' @Seth_Erdene wrote.
“We can't sell Zinchenko man,'' @noz_zyy tweeted.
‘‘I think we have to be critical with ourselves’’ – Mikel Arteta on Arsenal’s 1-1 draw with Brentford
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta wasn’t happy with his side’s performance during their 1-1 draw with Brentford. The Spaniard was particularly critical of how they conceded the equalizer.
Arteta said in the post-match press conference (via Football.London):
‘‘Well, after the equaliser, especially because we played with 10 men, a lot. But even with 10 men, I think we tried and we had two quite clear situations to finish the action better. I think we have to be critical with ourselves, especially the way we concede the goal.
‘‘Again, at Brentford, you know what happens. You have a free kick, the goalie is going to put it there. From there trying to get a throw-in, from there trying to get a corner and then once you clear the ball it's a second ball game. And in that second ball game, we didn't defend the space close to the taker well enough, and then it's a lot to it because they did that really well, and it's our fault.’’
Arsenal remain rooted in the second position on the Premier League table with 63 points after 32 matches. They are 10 points behind leaders Liverpool, who need three wins to secure the 2024-25 Premier League title.
