Arsenal owner Stan Kroenke expressed his dissatisfaction with a particular Arsenal player’s performance against West Ham in the Carabao Cup. This player, who received a low 3/10 rating, is in danger of losing his starting position. The team had a disappointing night, losing 3-1 to West Ham and missing out on a place in the quarter-finals.
While Arsenal initially had good possession, the game quickly slipped away from their control as West Ham tested their defense. Despite having 71% possession, Arsenal allowed the hosts to score three goals from just five shots on target. This included goals by Ben White, Mohammed Kudus, and Jarrod Bowen, which put the game out of reach. Martin Odegaard managed a consolation goal for Arsenal.
The root of the team’s problems appeared to be defensive flaws and a lack of midfield coordination, with one player, Oleksandr Zinchenko, standing out for his poor performance. Zinchenko’s struggles in the game exemplified why Mikel Arteta had been starting Takehiro Tomiyasu instead of him recently. Zinchenko was criticized for his defending and was described as “weak” by some. His performance was subpar, with a 3/10 rating, and he lost all his aerial duels, failed all his attempted dribbles, and lost possession multiple times.
It was a wakeup call for Arsenal, who remain unbeaten in the Premier League, but Arteta may need to reconsider Zinchenko’s role in the team, as his days as the first-choice left-back could be numbered. Stan Kroenke’s message to Arteta was clear: either drop the underperforming player to the bench or face the risk of losing his job as the club’s manager.
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