Sport nationArsenal’s £74m star was even worse than Zinchenko v Liverpool
One Arsenal star needs to rediscover his form if the Gunners want to win the league.
Zinchenko-Arsenal
Arsenal travelled to Anfield on Saturday evening knowing that as long as they avoided defeat they’d head into Christmas top of the Premier League.
Well, avoid defeat they did, but not without a scare as Liverpool held the Gunners to a 1-1 draw.
Arsenal were rampant in the early stages and could have been a few goals up in the opening ten minutes. Alas, they were made to settle for a solitary goal, Gabriel rising highest to head home from Martin Odegaard’s set play.
Mohamed Salah equalised for the Reds later in the first half and could have had a penalty after Odegaard handled accidentally inside the area.
The most gilt-edged chance fell the way of Trent Alexander-Arnold who rifled a glorious one-on-one chance against the crossbar in the second half.
All in all, a draw was probably deserved from a game that gave Mikel Arteta plenty to think about, notably at left-back.
Oleksandr Zinchenko’s game in numbers
Had Takehiro Tomiyasu been fit this weekend then it’s likely the Japanese would have started at Anfield.
In games of this magnitude, Arteta has preferred to operate with four centre-halves across his back four but on this festive weekend, Oleksandr Zinchenko was fielded at left-back.
This was not unusual. After all, his inverted style of playing has been huge for Arsenal since he arrived from Manchester City.
Zinchenko vs Liverpool in numbers
Minutes Played
90
Touches
85
Accurate Passes
50/58 (86%)
Long Balls
4/9
Dribble Success
50%
Shots
2
Key Passes
0
Fouls
1
Possession Lost
12x
Duels Won
5/10
Tackles
3
Clearances
2
Stats via Sofascore.
That said, he is prone to the odd blunder. We saw that only a few weeks ago against Wolves. The Ukrainian stepped in-field and gave the ball straight to Matheus Cunha whose brilliant strike from the edge of the box set up a nervy finish at the Emirates.
Well, in Merseyside this weekend he wasn’t quite as guilty on this occasion, but he could have done better to prevent Salah’s goal. The Egyptian picked up the ball inside the area and then danced past Arsenal’s number 35 as though he wasn’t there before slamming an unstoppable shot past David Raya.
Zinchenko notably gave the ball away in the second half too, gifting possession to Salah inside Arsenal’s half but fortunately, the chance came to nothing.
Despite his ineffective showing, it was one man in Arsenal’s attack who was unfortunately the worst player on display.
Gabriel Martinelli’s game in numbers
The Brazilian has been nothing short of a phenomenon for Arsenal over the last 18 months.
Only last season the young winger was the club’s joint-top scorer alongside Bukayo Saka and Odegaard but in 2023/24, Gabriel Martinelli hasn’t quite been at the races.
MixCollage-24-Dec-2023-12-17-AM-2353
The 22-year-old has only scored two times in 16 Premier League outings to date with his solitary strike in the last ten games coming away at Luton. Liverpool are by no means an easy opposition but he was way off the pace on Saturday night too.
What was most concerning was his decision-making. Often there was a lack of it, running down blind alleys, failing to get a shot off when space opened up or not even being in the right place at the right time.
That was summed up by the fact that the Brazil international only fashioned one shot during his time on the pitch, which happened to be off target, and only created one key pass.
Martinelli vs Liverpool in numbers
Minutes Played
68
Touches
33
Accurate Passes
11/13 (85%)
Key Passes
1
Shots
1
Dribble Success
2/6
Crosses
0
Duels Won
3/10
Possession Lost
13x
Expected Goals (xG)
0.14
Expected Assists (xA)
0.03
Stats via Sofascore.
Martinelli was eventually hauled off after 68 minutes having won just 30% of his duels and having lost possession of the ball on 13 occasions from his 33 touches – once every 2.5 touches.
It was a performance that happened to be described as “shocking” by one OPTA analyst, who urged the £74m-rated Brazilian to up his game.
Indeed, if Arsenal are to go all the way and win the league next May they will need Martinelli firing again. This has been an indifferent campaign for the youngster and as his showing at Anfield proves, improvement is required. It would not be a surprise if Leandro Trossard is unleashed from the start instead against West Ham after Christmas.
Arsenal’s £74m star was even worse than Zinchenko v Liverpool
One Arsenal star needs to rediscover his form if the Gunners want to win the league.
Zinchenko-Arsenal
Arsenal travelled to Anfield on Saturday evening knowing that as long as they avoided defeat they’d head into Christmas top of the Premier League.
Well, avoid defeat they did, but not without a scare as Liverpool held the Gunners to a 1-1 draw.
Arsenal were rampant in the early stages and could have been a few goals up in the opening ten minutes. Alas, they were made to settle for a solitary goal, Gabriel rising highest to head home from Martin Odegaard’s set play.
Mohamed Salah equalised for the Reds later in the first half and could have had a penalty after Odegaard handled accidentally inside the area.
The most gilt-edged chance fell the way of Trent Alexander-Arnold who rifled a glorious one-on-one chance against the crossbar in the second half.
All in all, a draw was probably deserved from a game that gave Mikel Arteta plenty to think about, notably at left-back.
Oleksandr Zinchenko’s game in numbers
Had Takehiro Tomiyasu been fit this weekend then it’s likely the Japanese would have started at Anfield.
In games of this magnitude, Arteta has preferred to operate with four centre-halves across his back four but on this festive weekend, Oleksandr Zinchenko was fielded at left-back.
This was not unusual. After all, his inverted style of playing has been huge for Arsenal since he arrived from Manchester City.
Zinchenko vs Liverpool in numbers
Minutes Played
90
Touches
85
Accurate Passes
50/58 (86%)
Long Balls
4/9
Dribble Success
50%
Shots
2
Key Passes
0
Fouls
1
Possession Lost
12x
Duels Won
5/10
Tackles
3
Clearances
2
Stats via Sofascore.
That said, he is prone to the odd blunder. We saw that only a few weeks ago against Wolves. The Ukrainian stepped in-field and gave the ball straight to Matheus Cunha whose brilliant strike from the edge of the box set up a nervy finish at the Emirates.
Well, in Merseyside this weekend he wasn’t quite as guilty on this occasion, but he could have done better to prevent Salah’s goal. The Egyptian picked up the ball inside the area and then danced past Arsenal’s number 35 as though he wasn’t there before slamming an unstoppable shot past David Raya.
Zinchenko notably gave the ball away in the second half too, gifting possession to Salah inside Arsenal’s half but fortunately, the chance came to nothing.
Despite his ineffective showing, it was one man in Arsenal’s attack who was unfortunately the worst player on display.
Gabriel Martinelli’s game in numbers
The Brazilian has been nothing short of a phenomenon for Arsenal over the last 18 months.
Only last season the young winger was the club’s joint-top scorer alongside Bukayo Saka and Odegaard but in 2023/24, Gabriel Martinelli hasn’t quite been at the races.
MixCollage-24-Dec-2023-12-17-AM-2353
The 22-year-old has only scored two times in 16 Premier League outings to date with his solitary strike in the last ten games coming away at Luton. Liverpool are by no means an easy opposition but he was way off the pace on Saturday night too.
What was most concerning was his decision-making. Often there was a lack of it, running down blind alleys, failing to get a shot off when space opened up or not even being in the right place at the right time.
That was summed up by the fact that the Brazil international only fashioned one shot during his time on the pitch, which happened to be off target, and only created one key pass.
Martinelli vs Liverpool in numbers
Minutes Played
68
Touches
33
Accurate Passes
11/13 (85%)
Key Passes
1
Shots
1
Dribble Success
2/6
Crosses
0
Duels Won
3/10
Possession Lost
13x
Expected Goals (xG)
0.14
Expected Assists (xA)
0.03
Stats via Sofascore.
Martinelli was eventually hauled off after 68 minutes having won just 30% of his duels and having lost possession of the ball on 13 occasions from his 33 touches – once every 2.5 touches.
It was a performance that happened to be described as “shocking” by one OPTA analyst, who urged the £74m-rated Brazilian to up his game.
Indeed, if Arsenal are to go all the way and win the league next May they will need Martinelli firing again. This has been an indifferent campaign for the youngster and as his showing at Anfield proves, improvement is required. It would not be a surprise if Leandro Trossard is unleashed from the start instead against West Ham after Christmas.
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