“I can’t forgive him”: What Arteta did after Zinchenko error vs Liverpool speaks volumes on Arsenal defensive plan

Jurgen Klopp spent four days trying to create an atmosphere at Anfield. It took Arsenal just four minutes to silence him. When Gabriel flapped his ears after the early lead on the Kop, one of the Arsenal players pulled the Gunners players into a hug. People rushed back to the center circle in happy ecstasy, but Oleksandr Zinchenko was keen to remind his teammates to keep a cool head. If only he could practice what he preached.

Despite his attempts to exude calm, the Ukrainian exuded chaotic energy for most of the match. Although he was key to Arsenal’s impressive start at Anfield, familiar questions quickly began to arise about his defensive abilities.

While any defender could have beaten Trent Alexander-Arnold’s spectacular through-ball across the Arsenal backline to Mo Salah, another wing-back would surely have engaged the Egyptian outside the box before managing to break through and finish past David Ray. That was really just the tip of the iceberg for Zinchenko.

Before the game, Mikel Arteta described Anfield as a washing machine, and Zinchenko’s start to the second half only added to the spin. The Ukrainian was twice caught on the edge of the penalty area in this pre-Christmas match like a man who has eaten a far too large Christmas lunch. After the second occasion, when Mo Salah could and perhaps even should have punished Arsenal, Arteta turned to the bench and puffed out his cheeks in exasperation.

“We gave away so many balls after we recovered them,” he said in the post-match press conference, without specifically mentioning Zinchenko. “That’s the worst moment against them because they are very good on the counterattack. We lost it in areas that are forbidden against them and we could have been punished.”

However, Arteta was adamant that he thought it was worth squeezing the juice with Zinchenko. There are plenty of full-backs who can offer more defensive solidity than the 26-year-old, but few can offer the midfield control that Arsenal so desperately want.

Arteta insists he is willing to accept Zinchenko’s shortcomings. “You have to like him as he is,” the Spaniard said earlier this month. “He has strengths and weaknesses, but Alex has many more strengths.” When Zinchenko forced Raya into a stretch to prevent a late corner from giving way with one of the last shots from the bench, Arteta’s knowing smile to his bench suggested that his opinion had not really changed.

He sought to address the Ukrainians’ defensive weaknesses by signing Jurrien Timber, while Takehiro Tomiyasu would surely have been on the pitch in the closing stages at Anfield had he not also been struggling with an injury. As the busiest period of the year begins for Arsenal, Zinchenko is all Arteta has at his disposal. In the spirit of Christmas, he seems ready to forgive and forget.