“I have slight hope again”, “His pass selections are also secure” – Arsenal fans relieved to see 25-year-old star in starting lineup to face Tottenham

Arsenal fans are delighted to see Oleksandr Zinchenko back in the Gunners' starting lineup for their Premier League clash against Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday (1 October).

Arsenal have not played a match in almost two weeks due to the international break. However, they return to action with a Premier League match against arch-rivals Tottenham.

The Gunners currently sit atop the Premier League table with 18 points from seven games. Spurs, on the other hand, have won five and drawn two of their seven games and sit just one point behind Mikel Arteta's side.

With less than an hour to go until kickoff, Arsenal have named their starting XI for the match. Arteta notably made two changes to the team that started in their 3-0 win against Brentford last month.

While Martin Odegaard has replaced Fabio Vieira, Zinchenko has reclaimed his place at left-back. The Ukrainian missed three of the Gunners' last four league games, including the win against Brentford, due to injuries.

Arsenal fans were delighted to see Zinchenko start ahead of Kieran Tierney as the Gunners take on Tottenham in a top-of-the-table clash. Some even took to Twitter to express their excitement.

One fan wrote:

"Zinchenko the better choice over Tierney. He’s more likely to overload the Spurs midfield in settled play which subsequently means Spurs will find it difficult to press Arsenal to get back out. His pass selections are also secure which further increases the likelihood of control."

Another supporter wrote:

"I think it's clear now that Zinchenko is the undisputed #1 choice for LB [left-back]. Even when Tierney is on form, Arteta still chooses Zinchenko over him."

The Gunners faithful will now be hopeful that Zinchenko's presence in the lineup will help Arteta's side beat Tottenham.

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How has Zinchenko fared for Arsenal?

Zinchenko was among the five new players the Gunners signed during the summer transfer window. The club forked out an initial sum of £30 million to acquire his services from league rivals Manchester City.

The Ukraine international has since established himself as a key player for Arteta's side. He has played five games in all competitions for the team so far, with all those appearances coming at left-back.

Zinchenko has notably helped the London giants win all but one of those matches, with the team's only defeat coming against Manchester United. He also has one assist to his name this season.

While he does not regularly contribute to goals, his ability on the ball and tendency to drift into midfield is valued by those at the club.