‘I can’t forget the day He cost us the league’: Jamie Carragher says £30m Arsenal player has really ‘dropped off’ recently
Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher has claimed that Arsenal star Oleksandr Zinchenko has ‘dropped off’ defensively over the last few weeks but still praised him for his contributions earlier in the season.
The Gunners spent the majority of the campaign on top of the Premier League table. They showed the quality of champions on numerous occasions, but when it mattered the most, they failed to get over the line.
Zinchenko’s dip in form is one of the reasons, but he still deserves immense praise for everything he has done for Arsenal this season.
Jamie Carragher delivers verdict on Arsenal star Oleksandr Zinchenko
When Arsenal signed Oleksandr Zinchenko and Gabriel Jesus from Manchester City last summer, the whole squad received a huge boost.
You could see right from pre-season that everyone at the club played with a different level of confidence compared to what they had last season.
Zinchenko played a massive part in that, and right until March, he was up there with the best players in his position in the entire Premier League.
Carragher recognised that and gave him the praise that he deserved.
He said on Sky Sports: “I went for Zinchenko and I actually think, along with Arsenal, he has dropped off defensively
“But I can’t forget those months of January, February, where Arsenal were on a great run and he was taking huge responsibility and going into that midfield position, especially in those games when they scored late, I thought he was a huge part of that and I think him and Jesus coming in initially lifted the level.
“I think Zinchenko has had a huge role.”
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Arsenal’s struggles over the last few weeks have led to criticism in the direction of many of the club’s players, including Zinchenko, who has made a few mistakes at left-back.
However, you cannot forget how the Ukrainian has helped take Arsenal to a whole new level this season.
Zinchenko’s leadership on and off the pitch has been absolutely incredible. He is one of the biggest reasons why the Gunners have had such an impressive season, and they will only get better next campaign.
The 26-year-old, sadly, has been ruled out for the rest of the season, but he should be back very, very soon.
