"He gave the ball away a few times and it’s f***ing scary now" - Ian Wright admits he's 'worried' about Arsenal star's recent performances
Arsenal icon Ian Wright has expressed concern over Oleksandr Zinchenko's performances this season. The pundit is worried that the Ukrainian left-back is gradually losing his place in Mikel Arteta's side.
Zinchenko has struggled to find consistency for the Gunners this campaign and has recently been sidelined due to calf problems. The Ukraine international has been linked with an exit this summer, with Bayern Munich and Newcastle United understood to be interested.
Zinchenko returned to action as a substitute in extra-time during Arsenal's Champions League victory over Porto in the Round of 16 in midweek. Wright said about his brief display (via TEAMtalk):
"He's now kind of eased out of the picture at the moment with what we're doing. The times he has played, and the reason why the crowd are impatient with what we want from him is because we want him to come on, we want him to keep the ball and progress it and not give it away.
"There was a couple of times, and I don't know if it's rust or if it's because he hasn't played, I don't know if it's because he's come on in the game and the game is quite hectic for him, but he gave the ball away a few times... and it's f***ing scary now."
Zinchenko has registered 29 appearances across all competitions for Arsenal this season, recording a goal and two assists.
Arsenal draw Bayern Munich in the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals
Arsenal have drawn Bayern Munich in the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals.
The Gunners have been in excellent form in the Premier League, leading the top of the table in a heated title race against Liverpool and Manchester City. The north Londoners started the 2023-24 Champions League campaign in dominant fashion, finishing at the top of their group.
Mikel Arteta's men scraped through the Round of 16 after a nervy 1-0 win over Porto in the second leg (1-1 agg), winning the penalty shootout. Arsenal now face Bayern Munich in their first Champions League quarter-finals appearance since the 2009-10 campaign.
The last time the Gunners faced the Bavarians in Europe was in the 2016-17 campaign, their last appearance in the Champions League before this season. The north Londoners suffered a humiliating 5-1 defeat in each of their two legs, losing 10-2 on aggregate.
Should they secure a victory against Bayern in the quarter-finals, they will face the winner of Manchester City vs Real Madrid in the semi-finals.