Chris Sutton, a former Chelsea star, has stepped forward to support Oleksandr Zinchenko, suggesting that the defender is unfairly shouldering the blame for Arsenal’s recent struggles.
Despite being on the cusp of a Champions League semi-final spot and being considered title contenders in the Premier League, Arsenal’s fortunes took a downturn with an exit from Europe following a defeat to Bayern Munich. They now find themselves trailing Manchester City by two points in the league.
After Arsenal’s defeat against Aston Villa, Zinchenko faced a wave of criticism from fans and pundits. Sutton, however, believes that this criticism is unjust and reminds Arsenal supporters that their team has delivered a solid season overall.
When questioned about the unwarranted scrutiny on Zinchenko, Sutton expressed his thoughts on the It’s All Kicking Off! podcast, stating, “Yeah, it is. I can’t stand things like this actually.
“But in the history of football there’s always been scapegoats, someone to blame. Someone has to take the blame for Arsenal’s poor form.”
Sutton further remarked, “I’m not going to say all Arsenal fans, but they can be quite a strange bunch.
“They are very, very, very reactive, aren’t they. They should remember that they have had a good season.”