Zinchenko Arsenal’s big heart and big brain

At other times they will play with three (William Saliba, Gabriel and Ben White), with Zinchenko ahead of them, sometimes as a single pivot, or as part of a double pivot with Partey

Zinchenko Arsenal’s big heart and big brain

Zinchenko Arsenal’s big heart and big brain
When Mikel Arteta sketched out a cartoon heart and brain holding hands on to his whiteboard, a year-and-a-half ago before his team’s match with Tottenham Hotspur, his players looked on, some bemused, others confused, and most unconvinced. 

“We have to play with a big heart,” he said. “[But] at the same time, we have to play with a big brain. And they have to work together.”

The Spaniard explained that those two elements when paired together, would inspire the supporters, who would add a more powerful dimension. “The moment you connect those things in the game,” he continued, “You are going to have a feeling in that pitch like you are hard, like you are invincible, and nobody can stop you.”

When the video was broadcasted as part of the All or Nothing documentary series, Arteta was ridiculed. But as Oleksandr Zinchenko screamed to the sky in front of jubilant supporters after Eddie Nketiah’s winning goal against Manchester United was confirmed, it all made sense: brain and heart, buoyed by manic fans and combined into one unstoppable force.


It was Zinchenko’s low cross from inside the penalty area that had set up the chance which Nketiah scored from. The Ukraine full back, who joined from Manchester City at the start of the season for £31.5 million, popped up all over the pitch to weave play together and had the most touches of any player. 


The most striking aspect to his performance was his position. He played as an “interior” — tucking in alongside Thomas Partey in midfield to create a double pivot, which protected the defence. The pairing prevented opponents counterattacking through the centre, and provided cover for one another when pressing and trying to win possession. It’s nothing new for Zinchenko. He had a similar role at City.


The partnership with Partey is critical: the Ghanaian does the physical work in midfield, making tackles, winning aerial duels and breaking up play and Zinchenko is alive to the moments the ball spills loose in midfield, when he seizes it and fires it forward.


These moments of transition, where one team is moving from attack to defence and vice versa are important. They are chaotic moments, where teams are not in a set structure — it is why chances from counterattacks tend to be better.


This example from Arsenal’s 4-2 win against Brighton shows how Zinchenko works in tandem with Partey. The Ghanaian makes a tackle to stop a Brighton counterattack led by Tariq Lamptey, but the quickness of Zinchenko turns a counterattack for the home side to one for Arsenal.


Against United, the majority of Zinchenko’s touches were in the left half space in the opposition half, but he also popped up in the right half space too, roaming around freely, as a No 8 may do.


But Zinchenko’s role is not only about moving inside, he sometimes plays wide, depending on the opponents and the match situation. Against Brighton he did just this. 


This interchanging or “rotation” of positions and roles is the essence of why Arsenal are so hard to set up against — they change how they play according to different tactical challenges. Zinchenko primarily rotates with his team-mates on the left side, Granit Xhaka and Gabriel Martinelli.


For example, when Martinelli pulls wide, Xhaka pushes up, and Zinchenko anchors the pivot; sometimes, Xhaka will anchor and Zinchenko will attack the penalty area; on other occasions, Zinchenko will stand on the byline as Martinelli will dart inside. 


These rotations are challenging for opponents to track, but they are also examples of in-game problem-solving. The distance between the players, and the angles they create in this triangle change as they move, to create new passing lanes and possibilities.


This happens all over the pitch. For Arsenal’s winner against United, Zinchenko pulled wide and provided an overlapping option to Leandro Trossard.

The Belgian typically likes to come inside, and is not as quick as Martinelli, so Zinchenko providing the width and pace was a natural move. Trossard’s infield position drew out Aaron Wan-Bissaka, United’s right back, and both Raphaël Varane and Scott McTominay, the centre back and defensive midfielder respectively.

In All or Nothing, Arteta explained how he likes full backs to play angled passes to their wingers, so that when they receive the ball, the defender cannot apply direct pressure onto the recipient’s back.

A pass that is perfectly vertical is easy to defend against: a defender can position themselves directly between the recipient and the goal, and the recipient has fewer options, because they are being pushed away from goal. However, when angled passes are fed in, the recipient can roll their defender, go either way and, crucially, keep the momentum of the pass. 


When playing out from the back, Arsenal may play with a flat back four.

At other times they will play with three (William Saliba, Gabriel and Ben White), with Zinchenko ahead of them, sometimes as a single pivot, or as part of a double pivot with Partey. 


Against United, by playing with two narrow players in midfield, Arsenal were able to keep their opponents’ forward line tight and narrow, which gave Arsenal the freedom to use their midfielders, Xhaka and Martin Odegaard in wide areas, where they were able to pull United’s midfielders out of position.

Most interesting of all, though, is how Zinchenko on the left, liberates Bukayo Saka on the right. When Zinchenko tucks in or advances on the left, he combines with Xhaka and Martinelli. Odegaard will often drift across and try to join them too and create a numerical advantage (or “overload”) to exploit.

Opponents shift their defensive line over and tighten up the spaces between players. That, inevitably, leaves space on the opposite side of the pitch, where Saka and White can attack.


Zinchenko is an intelligent and versatile player in his own right. When he takes the field Friday night, Pep Guardiola may just be wondering whether letting one of his most intelligent and versatile players leave will cost him the league.