Over the last four days or so Arsenal have suddenly come to life. Not that the Gunners weren't already at the races this season, but there has been a noticeable difference in the way Mikel Arteta's men play their football now.
Last term, it was all about the box-crashing fluid style of offensive football. Martin Odegaard, Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Jesus and Gabriel Martinelli all scored double figures.
However, in 2023/24, it was has been a tamer affair for those in north London. The focus now is on ensuring they don't concede goals, therefore making themselves an incredibly tough unit to break down.
It's worked too. No side has conceded fewer times in the Premier League this season than Arteta's men.
Offensively
Goals scored
2.3
2.1
Shots
15.6
14.5
Shots on target
5.4
5.2
Expected goals (xG)
1.9
1.8
Defensively
Goals conceded
1.1
0.8
Shots faced
9
8.5
Shots on target faced
3.6
2.5
Expected goals against (xGA)
1.1
0.8
Stats via BBC Sport (excludes match vs Wolves)
Yet, it now looks as though they're beginning to find their groove in attack. They dismantled Lens 6-0 in the Champions League on Wednesday, racing to a 5-0 lead at the interval and then within 15 minutes against Wolves on Saturday afternoon, were two goals in front.
The scoreline finished 2-1, only due to some lapse play late on from Oleksandr Zinchenko.
Zinchenko's game in numbers
Saturday defined both the good and bad in Arsenal's Ukrainian left-back. His technical elegance is bettered by very few at the elite level of the game.
He very often takes more touches and boasts a better pass accuracy than most of his teammates. Zinchenko showed as much when Gary O'Neil's side were in town.
The defender completed 74 passes on Saturday – only Declan Rice and Odegaard managed more – but no one bettered his 95% accuracy from either side in the game. Once more, only the aforementioned midfielders had more touches in the game than the former Manchester City star's 93.
Minutes Played
90
Touches
93
Pass Success
74/78 (95%)
Key Passes
1
Long Balls
2/3
Tackles & Interceptions
4
Duels Won
4/8
Assists
1
Expected Assists (xA)
0.12
Stats via Sofascore.
Playing in an inverted role as he does, it is likely to come with a great deal of risk. Often that left-hand side gets exposed and had Wolves had someone of Pedro Neto's ilk in the side – an Arsenal transfer target for 2024 – the story may well have played out differently.
Yet, with the Old Gold lacking potency in the final third, Zinchenko was largely free to do as he pleased. That involved creating Odegaard's goal in delightful fashion. The Ukrainian played a delicious one-two with Jesus before laying the ball on a plate for the Norwegian to apply his trade mark finish, a sweeping effort from around the penalty spot. Indeed, that was the very best of their £32m man.
Unfortunately, we also saw the worst of him in this game in the 86th minute. Arsenal were seemingly coasting to victory when the full-back's errant pass inside his own area found Matheus Cunha who didn't need a second invitation to rifle the ball beyond David Raya to set up a nervy finish. An average 6/10 match rating was duly forthcoming from the Standard's Simon Collings.
It was at that moment that Zinchenko attracted stick on social media, notably from reporter Zach Lowy.
The man to replace Oleksandr Zinchenko
Zinchenko tends to be one of the first names on the team sheet but as Lowy refers to, you feel as though a mistake lies inside the inverted defender.
For that reason, an alteration to the starting lineup could be applied when Arsenal take on Luton in midweek. That may well depend on the fitness of Takehiro Tomiyasu, however.
The Japanese defender has been in red-hot form of late, supplying two assists in the opening 45 minutes of the game against Lens in midweek, before popping up with another assist against Wolves.
Usually a bit of a no-nonsense and bullish defender, Tomiyasu has newfound athleticism and power in the final third that for the time being, has shunted him ahead of Ben White in the right-back pecking order.
However, in order to accommodate White against Luton, the Japan international could be moved over to the left-hand side, an area of the pitch he's featured in on 17 occasions for the club.
Right-back
45
0
6
Centre-back
1
0
0
Left-back
17
0
0
Stats via Transfermarkt.
That said, he may not be fit enough to do so. The 25-year-old was withdrawn with around ten minutes to go against Wolves, although Arteta hoped it was just a case of fatigue, with precaution being applied given his injury history.
Should White and Tomiyasu be fit for Luton, then benching Zinchenko could well be a sound option.
