Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal side are challenging for the Premier League title again this season (Picture: Getty)
Paul Merson fears Oleksandr Zinchenko is becoming the obvious weak link in Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal side.
The former Manchester City star made a huge impact last season following his move to north London, operating in the inverted full-back role.
Zinchenko’s form has deteriorated over the last couple of months, however, and had been on the verge of losing his place to Takehiro Tomiyasu prior to the Japan international’s latest injury setback.
The 27-year-old’s defensive shortcomings, in particular, have been exposed in recent weeks with Mohamed Salah the latest to take advantage.
Liverpool’s prolific winger scored the equaliser in last weekend’s top of the table clash after he was allowed to cut in from the flank by Zinchenko and bury the ball beyond David Raya.
With Tomiyasu likely to be out until the new year and summer recruit Jurrien Timber recovering from a cruciate knee ligament injury, Arteta has little option but to persist with Zinchenko.
Merson, however, feels Arteta would be better served by finding an alternative option and using Zinchenko only against teams in the bottom half of the Premier League.
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‘Arsenal are a different team now,’ Merson told Sky Sports. ‘They’ve learned a lot from last season and Declan Rice has taken them to another level. I think they will go on and win it now.
‘This could be their problem: The left-back. That’s poor defending [against Liverpool].
‘That’s my worry. I think they need Zinchenko for games against bottom-half teams, where they can go and play and dominate the game, but when they play the big boys [they don’t].
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‘They are nice fixtures [coming up against West Ham, Fulham, Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest]. They should win all four.
‘If they don’t, you’re not entitled to win the Premier League. You’ve got to beat those teams and then the big games look after themselves.
‘But I make Arsenal the team now. Coming out of the Liverpool game with a draw, and those next four fixtures, that’s 22 [games played].
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