Oleksandr Zinchenko performed impressively when Manchester City overthrew Paris Saint-Germain, last Wednesday. Not only was he involved in the first goal, overall, his performance was very outstanding. Appearing as a left back, the Ukrainian midfielder has been effective at the back of Pep Guardiola’s men, either defensively or in the build-up process.
Defensively, Zinchenko successfully guarded the left area of City’s defense in this match. The combination with Ruben Dias and Fernandinho made Neymar and Angel Di Maria fail to perform optimally. In the build-up process, this 24-year-old player also plays an important role. Zinchenko was recorded as the City player with the most touches and passes in this match. He controlled the ball 82 times and sent a total of 73 passes with an accuracy of 94.5%. He also sent three passes in the final third and six long passes, four of which met targets.
Zinchenko is noted as an active player in the progression of the Man City ball. In that match, only Ederson recorded the farthest distance traveled for the progressive pass – the pass that led to the opponent’s goal – the farthest distance from the player with the number 11’s back. His role is quite prominent in City’s success in flowing the ball into the opponent’s area. Cumulatively, Zinchenko’s passes cover a progressive distance of 420 yards, while Ederson’s is 459 yards.
City’s first goal was the culmination of Zinchenko’s brilliant performance. His role was indeed more prominent in channeling City’s possession of the ball, but, when the opportunity arose, he was allowed to attack from the left wing. In the process of the first goal, Zinchenko picked up Ederson’s long pass in the area of the opponent’s defensive wing. He then sent the ball to Kevin De Bruyne. The Belgian midfielder’s shot was blocked by the PSG defender and Riyad Mahrez grabbed the ball.
Pep Guardiola’s decision to install Zinchenko instead of Joao Cancelo proved right. His contribution helped The Citizens qualify for the inaugural Champions League final. For the player, this appearance reiterated his desire to fight for a place in the Man City squad. Despite competing with elite full-backs like Benjamin Mendy and Joao Cancelo, Zinchenko was not at all discouraged.
Compared to his two colleagues, Zinchenko does have a less prestigious background. However, the hard work in training sessions and the slick performance on the pitch certainly forced Guardiola to keep his eyes on it. Oleksandr Zinchenko was born in Rhadomsyl, a city in northern Ukraine on December 15, 1996. He practiced football at the local SSB until 2008. After that, he moved to FC Monolit Illichivsk. In 2009, the promising talent Zinchenko made one of the biggest clubs of Ukraine, Shakhtar Donetsk recruited him to their academy.
At Shakhtar, he captained the youth team and received a call-up to the Ukraine youth national team. His move to Shakhtar’s senior team seemed certain. However, the war that broke out in Donbas in 2014 forced the club and hundreds of thousands of residents to flee, including the Zinchenko family. Shakhtar moved to the emergency base in Lviv before living in Kharkiv since 2016. Meanwhile, Zinchenko, along with his mother and father, fled to Russia.
“Before joining Ufa, I didn’t have a team for five or six months. It was a difficult situation because at that time, I still had a contract with Shakhtar Donetsk, but [the situation] was very dangerous in Ukraine. That’s why my parents moved. I then trained alone every day on the streets of Moscow, “Zinchenko told The Guardian.
Shakhtar originally wanted the player to return, but his parents forbade him for safety reasons. After spending months without a club, Rubin Kazan wanted to accommodate Zinchenko. However, this Russian club did not sign him because the player was still under contract with Shakhtar. Rubin Kazan simply allowed him to practice together.
In February 2015, Zinchenko joined FC Ufa. He started a professional career at the club, which at that time had just been promoted to the Russian Premier League. The 1.75m tall player made his debut when Ufa faced Krasnodar in March 2015. Zinchenko impressed in 2015/16. He appeared in 24 Russian Premier League matches, scoring two goals and assisting four.
At the end of the season, he even broke Andriy Shevchenko’s record as the youngest goal scorer for the Ukrainian national team. Previously, this record had lasted 20 years. Zinchenko, then 19 years 165 days old, scored against Romania in May 2016. When he scored his debut goal for the national team, Shevchenko was 19 years 214 days old. In 2016/17, Man City signed him for a ransom of around 2 million euros. The Cityzens immediately loaned him to PSV Eindhoven that season.
Upon his return to Etihad, Zinhenko had a hard time breaking into the first team. A number of clubs also tempted him to move. In August 2018, he was about to be recruited by Wolverhampton Wanderers. Wolves’ offer has been agreed by City. However, Zinchenko was reluctant to move even thouggh only played 532 minutes in the 2017/18 Premier League. Zinchenko wants to develop under Guardiola’s guidance. Even though he was only the third choice left-back, he decided to stay.
“Before I met him, Pep had analyzed me from A to Z. The training sessions were really intense. “He loves beautiful football and on a personal level, he played me in a number of positions to make me a versatile footballer,” said Zinchenko. Since playing at Ufa, Zinchenko has played in three positions, namely central midfielder, left back and left wing. Guardiola is the right coach to hone this talent.
His patience and hard work began to pay off. In 2018/19, he appeared 14 times in the Premier League with a total playing minutes of 1,151. The season after that, he got a total of 1,276 minutes to play. This season, he has played 17 EPL matches with a total of 1,287 minutes played. Zinchenko’s opportunity was won not because Mendy or Cancelo was injured. He is able to become a direct competitor at the left-back post. This season, he played in big matches against Chelsea, Liverpool, Tottenham and Manchester United. In the Champions League, he also played the full game when his team played the second leg against Borussia Dortmund and PSG.
Zinchenko has the skill set Guardiola needs. As a left back, he is good at supporting the Man City game system. One of its most prominent attributes is the ability to cut short presses. In the match against PSG, for example, Zinchenko was capable of eliminating the high pressing of Mauricio Pochettino’s men who tended to trap opponents in the wing area. The former FC Ufa was able to send 14 passes in the middle of an opponent’s pressing situation. He did not lose possession at all (dispossessed) in the match. This ability made Guardiola trust him in a grand party.
Of course, Zinchenko still has shortcomings, especially from an individual defensive aspect. He also needs to hone his playmaking skills if he wants to match Cancelo as a complete full-back. Nonetheless, Zinchenko is a versatile player whose development has been very impressive. Having to go through a bitter situation in his youth, he was able to develop rapidly in the luxurious Man City squad.
The development of the player is also interesting to watch. Not only at the club level, but also at the national team. In the Ukraine national team, Zinchenko still regularly plays as a midfielder. Andriy Shevchenko is certainly happy that his team coached by Guardiola is such a versatile player.
“In England, we have Zinchenko who plays for Manchester City. A great player who can play in several positions. A very smart player, “Shevchenko told VbetNews. In the Ukraine national team, he has bagged 38 caps with a score of five goals. On average, he plays as a central midfielder in Shevchenko’s squad. Occasionally, Zinchenko was also dropped at the left wing post.
Zinchenko can play in four positions. If you look at the profile of the Ukraine national team, then his future is not as a left-back – even though Guardiola continues to install him in this position. Playing in any position, Zinchenko has great potential and his development is worth looking forward to.
ASL
