"Needs to be replaced" "Man plays 2 games and is out for 5" - Arsenal fans fume as summer signing misses out on matchday squad yet again due to injury
Arsenal fans have taken to social media to express their frustration as Oleksandr Zinchenko misses out on a place in the Gunners' matchday squad once again.
Southampton will entertain north London giants Arsenal at St. Mary's in the Premier League today. The two teams have had contrasting starts to their 2022-23 campaigns so far.
The Saints sit 15th in the league table with 11 points from as many games and are just three points above bottom-placed Leicester City. The Gunners, on the other hand, are placed first in the standings.
Mikel Arteta's side have 27 points to their name, having won nine and lost one of their 10 matches so far. They will look to increase their lead with second-placed Manchester City to four points by beating Southampton this afternoon.
With less than an hour to go until kick-off, Arsenal have named their starting lineup for the match. Arteta has made no changes to the team that beat Leeds United 1-0 in the league last weekend.
However, Zinchenko has once again missed out on a place in the north London giants' matchday squad once again. He has struggled with injuries since joining them from Manchester City on a £32 million deal in the summer.
Zinchenko took little to no time to establish himself as Arteta's first-choice left-back. The Ukrainian, though, has already missed eight matches in all competitions due to injuries.
Here is how fans reacted to the news on Twitter:
really and truly i just want zinchenko back
No Zinchenko again🥲 deep man enjoy watching him play
One frustrated Arsenal fan wrote:
"Zinchenko needs to be replaced.. cuz WTF?? Man plays two games and is out for five."
@Arsenal @gabrieljesus9 Zinchenko needs to be replaced.. cuz WTF ?? Man plays 2 games and is out for 5
Is Zinchenko an injury prone before joining Arsenal?
@DonreaI Yeah at all man. He could probably stomach it behind zinchenko but if that was me having to sit behind Tomi at LB I wouldn’t be happy
Another supporter wrote:
"Didn’t like Tomi [Takehiro Tomiyasu] at LB last week but I knew he’d start again today so idrc. I just hope Zinchenko returns quickly."
Didn’t like Tomi at LB last week but I knew he’d start again today so idrc. I just hope Zinchenko returns quickly
@souljasamm him and tierney* zinchenko too injury prone
I had a dream we signed Zinchenko.
How are Arsenal's opponents Southampton lining up?
Southampton put an end to their five-match winless run with a narrow 1-0 victory over AFC Bournemouth on Wednesday (October 19). Ralph Hasenhuttl has thus named a largely similar starting lineup for the match against Arsenal.
Sunday squad 👊
Here’s the #SaintsFC team to face #AFC: https://t.co/pH9rJtpScs
The Saints have made just three changes to the team that beat Bournemouth last week. Lyanco has come into the lineup in place of Kyle Walker-Peters, who suffered an injury against the Cherries.
Che Adams has dropped to the bench despite scoring the winner against Bournemouth, with Stuart Armstrong taking his place. Meanwhile, Ibrahima Diallo has replaced Ainsley Maitland-Niles in midfield.
It now remains to be seen if they can follow up their win against Bournemouth by causing an upset against the league leaders.