Arsenal news: Oleksandr Zinchenko makes demand to Arsenal team-mates after Aaron Ramsdale ‘lies’
Arsenal’s Europa League group stage campaign may be concluded, but the Gunners will face Brighton in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday before the World Cup.
Oleksandr Zinchenko has sent a strong message to his teammates following the Gunners’ statement win over Chelsea on Sunday.
In addition, Arsenal must wait patiently to learn who they will face in the round of 16 of the Europa League.
We examine the most recent news emanating from the Emirates Stadium.
Zinchenko makes ‘killing’ order
Zinchenko, a versatile Ukrainian left back, has told his Arsenal colleagues to “kill off” their previous mentality as they continue their surprising bid for the Premier League title this season.
Since their illustrious 2003-04 season, Arsenal have not been named champions, and a top-four finish in order to qualify for the Champions League has become more than sufficient for the club. Now, though, Zinchenko is demanding a change in the locker room’s attitude and mentality.
Zinchenko said: “I can feel that this group of people, they are special. Starting from our staff and then all the people on our training ground, our fans, we believe in ourselves, every single game. The way the fans support us is amazing.
“I think I would say that before I got used to hearing that Arsenal, it means straight away in your mind, top four, top four. I would say, I really want to kill and destroy this stereotype. We need to look further, and I think this team, this group of people, the fans, they deserve more. That’s what we need to do. We need hard work in this and let’s see at the end of season.
“You ask me if we can challenge Man City and stuff. Of course, they are an amazing team, but you never know what can happen in football. We need to go step by step with every single game.”
Ramsdale ‘lied’ about Aubameyang
Aaron Ramsdale has been accused of “lying” when he stated that former striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was not discussed in the locker room prior to the game.
Aubameyang had an unpleasant reunion with the Gunners on Sunday when he played for Chelsea after being stripped of his captaincy and moving to Barcelona in January. Ramsdale responded, “No, I don’t think he’s been mentioned,” when asked about his former teammate.
“We know who he plays for and what happened. For 90-95 minutes, he’s nobody’s friend. After that, we’ll shake his hand and see how he is, but for now, he plays for Chelsea and we play for Arsenal.”
The statements didn’t seem to wash with Ferdinand, who reacted openly accusing the shot-stopper of a mistruth by saying: “He’s lying, Aubameyang definitely would have been spoken about in the dressing room before this game.”
When analyzing how Arsenal players dealt with their former talisman, Ramsdale’s statements appeared to be accurate.
Granit Xhaka was the only Gunners player to embrace Aubameyang prior to kickoff, with everyone else opting for a fairly icy handshake.
Arteta’s two ‘most important’ players
Rio Ferdinand has identified two “most crucial” Arsenal players after Mikel Arteta’s squad defeated Chelsea 1-0 over the weekend.
On paper, Sunday’s matchup at Stamford Bridge between Arsenal and Chelsea was one of the Gunners’ most difficult of the season.
However, the Blues were not at their best, as they were unable to make things difficult for Arteta’s team.
Gabriel Magalhaes scored the game’s lone goal as Arsenal earned another victory. Eleven of their first thirteen Premier League games have been won.
Man City’s ten-man victory over Fulham on Saturday afternoon had propelled them back to the top of the standings.
Legendary Manchester United player Rio Ferdinand was impressed with Arsenal, but he was quick to point out that Chelsea was missing several key players.
Arsenal performed well in the summer transfer market, and they have also benefited from the return of William Saliba from his loan at Marseille.
The defender was linked with a summer transfer away from Arsenal, but the club was able to keep him and is now reaping the dividends.
Gabriel Jesus is one more newcomer who is thriving at Arsenal. He has not scored in nine games, but his all-around play has greatly benefited the club’s forward line.
Ferdinand feels that Saliba and Jesus are Arteta’s two most valuable players at the moment.
“(Arsenal’s) most important player is Gabriel Jesus or William Saliba. If those players come out of the team, the drop-off from that level is massive,” Ferdinand added.
“You could play Granit Xhaka in Thomas Partey’s position and get through a couple of games, but you won’t get the same output from someone who comes in for Jesus or Saliba.”
But Arsenal legend Martin Keown is wary that Jesus “needs to start scoring goals”.
“No one should question his effort and commitment because he is giving 100 per cent to the cause.
“He thinks about the team, but he does need to start scoring goals. However, Arsenal are winning at the moment and perhaps he gets that goal on the weekend.”
Arsenal news: Oleksandr Zinchenko makes demand to Arsenal team-mates after Aaron Ramsdale ‘lies’
