Arsenal are more dangerous with Oleksandr Zinchenko in the team claims Oxford United boss Karl Robinson. He also said that they expected Kieran Tierney to start the game.
The Gunners won the third-round game against Oxford with a scoreline of 3-0. Hence, they are now going to now face Manchester City in the next round of the FA Cup.
ARSENAL RECORDED A MUCH-NEEDED VICTORY AGAINST OXFORD UNITED
Arsenal progressed to the next round of the FA Cup with a 3-0 win against Oxford United. It is a very important victory because the Gunners dropped points in the Premier League in their last match. They drew 0-0 against Newcastle United. Another reason is also the uncertainty of an easy result in the FA Cup. A number of lower league sides won the game against higher opposition Premier League sides. Hence, it was important for the Gunners to get the job done.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta also said that they had to keep on pushing hard to get the win. He further said,
“We expected that – a very physical side and a really lively crowd. The pitch condition as well is different to what we’re used to but we have to win in any context and we competed really well. “I think we had to adjust [at half-time] and show more purpose. We needed more threat and a bit more rhythm in both possession and it worked. “In the second half, we had a little bit more control of the game and attacked some of the spaces better, and we were really dangerous.”
OXFORD BOSS’S PREDICTION REGARDING THE GUNNERS PROVES TO BE CORRECT
According to Telegraph, Oxford boss Karl Robinson had predicted that Oleksandr Zinchenko would change the game in the second half of the game. He also predicted correctly that Kieran Tierney would start the game at left-back. However, the Gunners failed to score till the 60 minutes of the game. Hence, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta decided to bring on Martin Odegaard and Oleksandr Zinchenko to change the game. They did what Arteta expected them to. Zinchenko’s performances especially helped them to beat Oxford and set up a next-round clash with his former side Manchester City.
Karl Robinson in his further predictions said,
“If Zinchenko plays he is far more comfortable coming inside and they are a completely different team. But obviously regardless of who plays they are good. [Zinchenko] is such a good player. They are very good, they are also off-the-cuff.”
Hence, it is clear that the Oxford boss knew what would happen. However, the high-quality passing of the Arsenal team in the second half of the team was just too much for the League 1 side.
Arsenal will now face Manchester City in the fourth round of the FA Cup. However, before facing them, the Gunners have to take care about winning in the Premier League. They will face fierce rivals Tottenham Hotspur in the Tottenham Hotspur stadium. Hence, the pressure to win will be on the Gunners because of their current league position.
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