Richard Keys says Oleksandr Zinchenko is simply not good enough

Oleksandr Zinchenko to get contract extension at Emirates

Richard Keys criticizes Arsenal’s Oleksandr Zinchenko as “Not Good Enough”

Richard Keys, renowned BeIN Sport presenter, has launched a discomfort attack on Arsenal’s left-back Oleksandr Zinchenko, saying him just not good enough for the Premier League giants.

Following Arsenal’s demeaning 2-0 defeat to Aston Villa at the Emirates Stadium, Keys blasted Zinchenko’s performance, characterizing the Ukrainian international’s contribution as mediocre.

Richard Keys slams Arsenal left-back Oleksandr Zinchenko

Keys wrote on his website: “I also felt he played the wrong team. I notice Piers Morgan made the point Arsenal still don’t have a centre-forward, but that wasn’t the problem for me.

“They’ve been playing with one. Ok, Havertz isn’t a natural 9, but he’d been in good form operating as a centre-forward with five in eight league games.

“Also in really good form – Declan Rice, who I’ve previously said I wanted to see a lot more from. Arteta made a subtle change recently – playing Jorginho – which allowed Rice to start bossing games in the way he used to at West Ham.

“So why change it Sunday? Rice was back to being Declan Nice, tippy-tappying about allowing Zinchenko to try and run the midfield. What is Arteta’s obsession with crow-barring Zinchenko into his team? Is he really so important?

“If I was Rice I’d be furious. I’d be asking ‘why pay £100m for me – only to ask me to play second fiddle to that busy fool’? Zinchenko doesn’t affect games in the same way Rice does.

“Zinchenko’s inclusion also means a different role for Havertz of course. The whole balance of the team has to be different.

“I guess the answer is that Arteta wants us to believe he’s as clever as Guardiola, whose also made baffling team-selections in the past – proving to be too clever for his own good – just as Arteta was on Sunday.”

Keys expressed disappointment with Arsenal’s lineup decision, insisting the absence of midfielder Jorginho from the starting lineup. He observed that Zinchenko’s performance fell short of demands, as the £30 million addition struggled to make an impact from his left-back position and even switched to midfield during the game.

While admitting Villa’s excellence, Keys was frank in his assessment of Arsenal’s performance, saying that improvements must be made if they want to compete for the Premier League crown.

He remained optimistic about Arsenal’s capacity to recover, expressing confidence in their upcoming matches, which include an important UEFA Champions League match against Bayern Munich and a Premier League game against Wolverhampton Wanderers.

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