Oleksandr Zinchenko has 'let Arsenal down' when it matters most, claims William Gallas
Oleksandr Zinchenko has 'let Arsenal down' when it matters most this season, according to William Gallas.
Arsenal face Manchester City in a crunch top-of-the-table clash at the Etihad as both teams battle it out for the Premier League title.
The Gunners' lead at the top has been reduced to five points following draws against West Ham United, Liverpool and Southampton.
They threw away two-goal leads at West Ham and Liverpool while they came from 3-1 down to rescue a point at home to the Saints.
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And Gallas has slammed Zinchenko's outing against Southampton, claiming he has been 'found wanting' during the title race.
He took aim at the Ukrainian's involvement for Southampton's third goal as he also fumed at Gabriel Jesus and Thomas Partey.
"The defence was terrible," said the former Chelsea and Arsenal defender.
"Zinchenko and Gabriel Jesus were below par and Thomas Partey wasn’t at his best."
On the former Man City star, he continued: “Zinchenko was sleeping for Southampton’s third goal. It was not the first time he has been found wanting.
“Defending is not his strength. One versus one is often a problem.
"Zinchenko is one of Arsenal’s most experienced players and, in these types of games, you need that experience - you want to see him managing the game," he added.
"But we haven’t seen that. He hasn’t performed very well in the last few matches.
"It will be difficult at City, it’ll be emotional."
The 26-year-old, who moved to the Emirates last summer, has played 30 games in all competitions this season.
He's been an important figure for Mikel Arteta, but Gallas wants more from him in the big matches.
Arsenal, meanwhile, have played two more games than Man City ahead of tonight's showdown.
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Nasir Jabbar