Former Chelsea star, Chris Sutton, has come to the defence of Oleksandr Zinchenko, claiming the defender is being used as a “scapegoat” for Arsenal’s recent poor form.
Despite being just one win away from the Champions League semi-finals and being tipped as contenders for the Premier League title, Arsenal crashed out of Europe after a quarter-final defeat to Bayern Munich, and now sit two points behind Manchester City in the league.
Following Arsenal’s loss to Aston Villa, Zinchenko bore the brunt of the criticism from fans and pundits alike, but Sutton has spoken out, saying the criticism is “unfair” and that Arsenal fans need to remember their team has had a good season.
Asked if some of the criticism aimed at the Ukrainian has been unfair, Sutton said on the It’s All Kicking Off! podcast: “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.”
He added, “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.”
EPL: Chris Sutton defends Oleksandr Zinchenko over ‘unfair’ criticism during Arsenal’s recent slump