So, looking back with the bias of and with Arsenal still sitting…

…at the top of the , why do Zinchenko and Arsenal make so much sense?

In some games you’ll see him up all over the field, making it seem like…

…he’s fulfilling the of a central midfielder rather than a full-back.

Inverting your full-back can create space, both and .

This space can then be exploited by either the wide forward dropping in to the ball up…

…or the number eight on that side out wide.

Let’s imagine that the opposition wide player doesn’t the full-back…

…well Arsenal now have an in the midfield area…

…which they can use to the opposition and create space in between the lines.

With Zinchenko, Mikel Arteta is afforded a of tactical flexibility…

…which allows him to more problems in possession…

…than he might do with a full-back who couldn’t as well as the Ukrainian.

If the ball should be over, Arsenal’s compact block…

…of five players is well set up to stop the counter-attack.

In these situations Zinchenko is far more to end up in the wide areas…

…keeping the opponent back in their own box and looking to work the ball…

…into dangerous situations either by hitting the by-line and the ball back…

…or by in crosses from the left channel.

With all the that he offers his team…

…it’s not hard to see why Zinchenko and Arsenal work so well in .