30 January 2024 , 21:40
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Arsenal ace Oleksandr Zinchenko was spotted in a heated exchange with manager Mikel Arteta after the 2-1 win away at Nottingham Forest.
The Gunners left-back had a decent enough game, but was withdrawn late on as Arteta sought to bolster up his side's defensive efforts deep into second-half stoppage time. Taiwo Awoniyi had just pulled one back for the hosts and the momentum was slipping away from Arsenal, so Arteta opted to withdraw Zinchenko in place of Jakub Kiwior.
Minutes later, Zinchenko was embroiled in a very passionate chat with his manager, who seemed desperate to try and calm the Ukraine international down. Whatever the discussion was about, it did not evade the detection of those watching.
Former Celtic boss Neil Lennon was watching the game on Sky Sports and claimed: "May have been Arteta being disappointed. Maybe a word about his position with the diagonal pass and maybe him being one of the leaders in his team. But I don't think there is too much in it."
Supporters on social media also commented on the exchange, with one fan writing: "Zinchenko played below average and showed frustration with Arteta after the Arsenal win. Arteta tells him to calm down; don't panic. Honestly, a professional player should be more mature."
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Another made clear that the clash can only be a good thing: "I’m sure I wasn’t the only one who caught Arteta scolding Zinchenko after the game. Brilliant. Accountability is what’s needed.
"Can’t continue to make these errors of complacency and get away with it. Zinchenko kept everyone onside, he needs to do better."
HAVE YOUR SAY! Were Zinchenko and White wrong to clash on the pitch? Comment below
Oleksandr Zinchenko had to be calmed down by Mikel Arteta at full-timeFull footage of the full-time scenes shows Zinchenko actually pointing his finger at team-mate White, who returned the gesture. The pair were seemingly arguing over something that occured late on in the game, before Arteta intervened.
The Gunners boss addressed the incident during his post-match media duties and claimed: "That is pushing each other and being not happy conceding. I have to encourage it in the right way. I love that the players are pushing each other!"
Arteta had a smile on his face while recalling the clash between his two players, but may have wished they did it in the dressing room away from the glare of television cameras.