09 January 2024 , 11:15
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Bacary Sagna has said he doesn't "understand the criticism" aimed at Oleksandr Zinchenko following Arsenal's recent run of disappointing results.
The Ukraine captain came under fire for his performance against Mohamed Salah during Arsenal's 1-1 draw at Liverpool last month. Zinchenko struggled to cope with Salah's pace and trickery, with the Liverpool forward scoring the equaliser just before half-time.
Despite the criticism, Mikel Arteta kept faith with Zinchenko for the visit of West Ham, but the 27-year-old was hauled off in the 64th minute. And the Gunners left-back hasn't featured since, missing the trip to Fulham and FA Cup clash against Liverpool after picking up a calf issue.
In response to some Arsenal fans slamming Zinchenko, Sagna has explained why he doesn't understand it. He told Mirror Football via Lord Ping: "I really like Zinchenko. He is a very technical player that suits Arsenal and offers them a lot when they have possession of the ball and when they are playing out from the back.
"He is another player that has been criticised this season. I don’t understand the criticism. Of course, when you are attacking and Zinchenko goes into the midfield, if you lose the ball, you will be exposed. When you’re asking him to perform that inverted role, then you have to expect that teams will be able to exploit the gaps on the left.
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"He is playing exactly the same football as he was last season. The difference is that Arsenal were winning most of their games last season, so nobody was questioning his ability or his performances.
Oleksandr Zinchenko has missed Arsenal's last two matches (Getty Images)"People always look for a guilty party when a team isn’t performing as well as we know they can. I think for a lot of people, Zinchenko has been that scapegoat this season. It’s a huge shame.
"Last season Zinchenko was celebrated as being a massive part of the reason why Arsenal were so good, and this season, some people are saying that he isn’t good enough. When you win, everything is beautiful. When you lose, people will look for players to blame."
Arsenal have won one of their last seven matches - a run that has seen them drop to fourth in the Premier League and crash out of the FA Cup after Sunday's 2-0 defeat against Liverpool. But the Gunners are now scheduled to fly out to United Arab Emirates for a winter break. Arteta's men are set to stay in the Middle East for six days, before jetting back ahead of their fixture against Crystal Palace on January 20.