Volodymyr Cytkin, a pupil of FC Dynamo Kyiv school of soccer, spoke about the distinctive features of Aleksandr Zinchenko at Arsenal and the Ukrainian national team.
Vladimir Tsytkin- Why earlier Guardiola and now Arteta put Zinchenko at the left-back position, and in the national team under all coaches he plays central midfielder?
- I have only one explanation. I remember when Zinchenko appeared in the junior team under Golovko. It was one of the most gifted and competent guys. Such players rarely play on the flank, especially in defense. As a rule, they are used in the center.
Another thing is that in the APL there are a lot of such players, there is a high competition, but Arteta found him a place on the flank with a shift to the center. Zinchenko's level of skill is enough to play virtually all over the field. Ukraine lacks such players so in the national team he plays in the center. Putting Zinchenko in the national team at the left back position is like using a calculator to hammer nails in. It makes no sense.
- Vitaliy Mikolenko fell out of Everton's starting lineup in recent matches, before that he was treated for a cold. Maybe Ruslan Rotanu should try Zinchenko at the left back position in the match against England?
- I am sure that against England, Zinchenko will play in the center. Roughly speaking, you can put at least one goalkeeper on the flank of defense. Zinchenko should play in the center of midfield and lead the game of our team. We have a shortage of highly intelligent players.
- At what position does Zinchenko look better: on the left in defense (Arsenal) or as a central midfielder (Ukraine national team)?
- I like the way he plays at Arsenal better. This is due to the fact that his partners in the London club are of a higher level than in the Ukraine national team. This position allows him to show his intelligence to the full. Zinchenko nominally plays left-back but can be found all over the pitch, sometimes even on the right flank of the attack.
- Zinchenko scored just one goal in five years in the APL, gave not many assists, but the Canaries fans twice named him player of the month, the English press and players praise him, calling him a top. What is the phenomenon of Zinchenko?
- The explanation for his phenomenon is very simple. Modern soccer is not just about scoring goals. At Man City Holland scores a lot, but almost all of his goals are after controlled passes of the partners, he rarely scores after individual actions.
Zinchenko is very good at giving assists in the last third and due to his soccer mind - he is unpredictable, none of the opponents can predict how he will play. Arsenal's game is often built around Zinchenko. Aleksandr's soccer is efficient and effective, which is a rare combination. The English fans know soccer quite well, so they notice Zinchenko's contribution. If it were otherwise, Zinchenko simply would not have played at Arsenal.
- Do you think Zinchenko is a top player? Is he the best left-back in the world?
- I would not say that Zinchenko is the best left defender in the world. From my point of view, he is not a left defender. That's more the work of the press. I don't even know how to call his position on the field. Zinchenko also has flaws - it's tackling, but it is natural, because before moving to England, he did not do it at all. He also plays with his head weakly at the top, sometimes he loses his position, not having time to secure partners. But these shortcomings are more than offset by big advantages.
Is he a world-class player? I think at the moment Zinchenko is not a top one, but he is already in the third quarter of the best. However, he has all the qualities to grow into a world-class player. Zinchenko is a competent and hard-working guy, he has a European mentality, he can quickly adjust to the team and it is very important.
Andriy PISKUN
