‘Sensational’: Kevin Campbell says Arsenal look like a completely different team when 26-year-old doesn’t play

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Kevin Campbell has been hailing Oleksandr Zinchenko after his performance for Arsenal against Chelsea on Tuesday evening.

The Ukrainian defender received a lot of criticism for his role in Noni Madueke’s goal in midweek, but according to Campbell, the left-back is a key cog in this Arsenal machine.

Indeed, the pundit told the Highbury Squad YouTube channel that Zinchenko was sensational alongside his teammates in the first-half, biting back against the calls to put Kieran Tierney back into the team, claiming that Arsenal look like an entirely different side when Zinchenko isn’t on the pitch.

Zinchenko the key player

Campbell gave his verdict on the left-back.

“The first half I thought Arsenal were sensational and Zinchenko played a big part in that, but we’re not the same if he doesn’t play, we’re not. Kieran Tierney is a very good left-back don’t get me wrong, but the way Arsenal play and the way Arsenal build, Zinchenko plays a very important role going into the midfield and creating an overload,” Campbell said.

Vital

There’s no disputing just how important Zinchenko is to this Arsenal team.

The full-back plays one of the most important roles in Mikel Arteta’s system as the inverted full-back on the left side.

His presence both out wide and in the midfield gives the Gunners the balance needed to be able to play this adventurous style of play, and sadly, Kieran Tierney doesn’t have what it takes to play in that role.

As Campbell says, Arsenal are a completely different team without the 26-year-old, and while it may be tempting to draft Tierney in after a couple of mistakes from Zinchenko, that would change the entire team’s equilibrium.