Oleksandr Zinchenko, when he did play left-back for the national team, was completely abused by the opposition.

With the backing of his wife Vlada Zinchenko and daughter in the stands, Oleksandr Zinchenko entered the match.
One squad that is greatly respected for their perseverance is Ukraine. To earn a spot in EURO 2024, they prevailed over Israel and Bosnia & Herzegovina in the qualification round. 

Oleksandr Zinchenko was used as a left-back rather than a midfielder, which was unusual.

The Romanian players appeared to have thoroughly studied this vulnerability of Ukraine and made constant use of it for the full ninety minutes.

Romania’s right flank attacks were frightening, and Zinchenko, who isn’t exactly known for his defensive prowess, appeared disoriented.

Even worse, he allowed his spearhead Dennis Man to continuously agitate the ball as he lost the ball nine times.

Dennis Man received two assists in addition to three crucial passes, and Zinchenko was nearly powerless to stop him from dribbling.

Ben Grounds, a Sky Sports analyst, chastised the Arsenal player right away. 

Grounds stated: “Too many Romanian players are proficient at the right wing, where Zinchenko carries the role that Vitalli Mykolenko, who was injured, originally held. After the season, Arsenal stopped using Zinchenko, and it’s possible that Mr. Edward Iordănescu noticed and took advantage of the holes in Ukraine’s defence.

Zinchenko and his teammates have to work really hard if they want to go on after losing the first game 0–3. William Saliba’s performance in his UEFA EURO 2024 debut:

• 94% passing accuracy rate

• 75 touchdowns

• 1/1 successful dribble

• 3/4 of long passes were accurate

• 7 ball recoveries

• 2/2 successful duels

• 1/2 aerial combat phases are successful

• Was passed over 0 times.

There were still a few scratches, like the mistimed header that led to Austria’s chance. However, much of it came from Saliba playing as a left-sided center-back, a different position from his usual right-sided role at Arsenal.

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Saliba is right-footed, so when Austria pressed high, some situations required quick decisions but were forced onto his left foot, making Saliba appear hesitant and resulting in less smooth passes.

Debuting on the big stage and partnering with a teammate he hasn’t had much on-field time with, Saliba’s performance was commendable. With the upcoming opportunities Deschamps is likely to give him, Saliba will adapt quickly.

Leandro Trossard 

-can’t score 

-can’t pass

-can’t cross 

-can’t defend 

-ghosting 

-makes good decisions 

-can’t dribble 

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