‘Orchestrator’: £32m Arsenal player put on a passing masterclass against Newcastle United yesterday

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Arsenal may be frustrated to have come away from The Emirates with just a point against Newcastle United yesterday.

Arguably the two surprise packages of the season played out a feisty, but goalless, draw.

A stat shared by Opta on Twitter has highlighted how good one of Arsenal’s players was on the ball yesterday.

Mikel Arteta once again went with an unchanged line-up yesterday, as he has done whenever possible this season.

Not only do his personnel rarely change, Arteta has established a style of play that they very rarely compromise from.

It’s certainly paid off, with yesterday’s draw one of just three matches that Arsenal haven’t taken three points from this season.

Arsenal have always been a possession heavy side, and the technical ability of their players allows to work intricately in forward areas.

As shared by Opta, one Arsenal player in particular was fantastic on the ball.

Oleksandr Zinchenko’s passing was brilliant yesterday, and trumped everyone else on the pitch.

Zinchenko’s passing was brilliant against Newcastle

The Ukrainian ran the show yesterday, completing more passes than any other player.

He also made more forward passes, passes into the final third, and passes between the lines.

Described as an ‘orchestrator’ by Opta, it showed the influence of the left-back on Mikel Arteta’s team.

The £32m defender has shown since his debut against Crystal Palace the influence Pep Guardiola has had on his game.

Zinchenko tends to drift inside and play as another midfielder when Arsenal have the ball.

It allows the Gunners to dominate possession further up the pitch that they would normally be able to.

Dan Burn admitted after yesterday’s match that Zinchenko’s positioning caused Newcastle all sorts of problems.

He also drew praise from John Terry, who knows a thing or two about defending.

Zinchenko’s passing was brilliant yesterday, and his style of play makes him an important cog in Arteta’s team.

Although Kieran Tierney is a fantastic defender, he can’t control a match the same way as the Ukrainian.

After his injury issues before the World Cup, Arteta will be hoping Zinchenko is fighting fit for the rest of the campaign.