Following their 4-0 preseason-friendly victory against Premier League opponent Chelsea, Oleksandr Zinchenko has cautioned his new Arsenal teammates not to overreact.
At Orlando’s Camping World Stadium, Mikel Arteta’s team completed their US tour in spectacular fashion with goals from Gabriel Jesus, Martin Odegaard, Bukayo Saka, and Albert Sambi Lokonga, who together sealed a convincing victory.
After completing a £32 million transfer from Manchester City at the end of the previous week, Zinchenko played 45 minutes against the Blues.
The Ukraine international, who won four Premier League titles at the Etihad, has been impressed by the quality of Arsenal’s squad but insists more improvements are needed ahead of the new season.
‘It’s a massive pleasure to be here and I’m so happy with the result,’ Zinchenko said. ‘In terms of the game, of course, we did well, but there is still a couple of things we can improve.
‘4-0 is a great result, but this is friendly and in the Premier League it will be different. I hope the result will be the same, but we need to work hard.’
Despite only joining up with Mikel Arteta’s squad last week, Zinchenko feels he is already settling into his new surroundings, largely thanks to his relationship with former Man City assistant manager Arteta.
The 25-year-old stated, “I need to adjust as fast as possible. I am already starting to feel my teammates pretty well, and I am enjoying being here.”
“I want to express my sincere gratitude to the guys, the entire coaching team, and the medical personnel for the gracious greeting.” That was very helpful.
“This place has outstanding quality.” I’m aware of how talented the players are because there are so many of them.
‘Our manager, Mikel Arteta, was one of the key reasons I came [to Arsenal]. The fantasy has come true since I am very familiar with him from my time at City and, don’t forget, my childhood team has always been Arsenal.
Arsenal finished fifth in the Premier League last season, narrowly missing out on a top-four spot to north London rivals Tottenham.
Although Arteta was pleased with his team’s performance against Chelsea in Florida, he agreed with Zinchenko that the game must be viewed in the context of the preseason.
Although it was a friendly game, the Gunners manager acknowledged that there were many excellent aspects to the way we performed. Don’t get carried away; there are still a lot of areas we need to improve on.
“However, I believe it’s good to get some momentum, end the tour well, and bring some joy to our fans and everyone who has helped make this tour possible.
It’s time to return to London, concentrate, and continue moving forward and improving.
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