Zinchenko show they CAN step up against RMA, writes ISAAN KHAN

With their Dead-Rubber Champions League Last-16 second stage against PSV Eindhoven, Arsenal can now look ahead.

The 7-1 Drubbing of PSV in the Philips Stadium last week made a hassle on Wednesday evening.

It is Real Madrid with whom the Gunners will be confronted next month in the quarterfinals of the Champions League, but the 2-2 draw of Arsenal last night gave a look at why they have a shot in this tournament.

Mikel Arteta brought the changes to his starting line-up. Not in an extravagant way-for example, Nathan Butler-Oyedeji and Ismeal Cabia were on the bank but enough to see the further options that the North London club has in a number of different areas for the last phases.

The most striking aspect was the four left side on the field in Kieran Tierney, Myles Lewis-Skelly, Oleksandr Zinchenko and Jakub Kiwior. And in the second half replacement Riccardo Calafiori emerged.

It is a very unusual makeup for each team, although there are specific attributes in Fringe Players Tierney and Zinchenko that can be used.

Zinchenko's goal in six minutes, ending in the top left corner from the edge of the box, was a reminder of the technical skill and attacking of Nous that he has.

The 28-year-old was firmly on the edge of a starting point and was connected to Borussia Dortmund in January.

He showed on Wednesday that he has the opportunity to fill an attacking place in a midfield that sometimes missed creativity this season.

With Tierney, who is on his way to Celtic this summer, he played left wing. It is a position that he is totally not used to having occupied most of his career.

That could be seen in his constant relapse to a defensive place. Although he undoubtedly has the opportunity to place impressive, beaten crosses in the box with pace.

Not much were played last night – there were a number of neat attacking steps forward – but were seen in his recent cameies when he came from the bank. It is a weapon that should not be discounted. With the air power of Mikel Merino that leads the line, the crosses of Tierney can be very useful.

These two players come in the focus with an attack shaved by Bukayo Saka, Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus.

Calafiori should be demonstrable with a scream for the false nine place. After he started in the 64th minute, the Italian showed real attacking bravery in the last third part.

There was a smart one-two exchange with a teammate in which Calafiori saw marching on goal, saved his powerful shot by goalkeeper Walter Benitez.

He has a talent to find himself in attacking positions and, as can be seen in his goals against Manchester City and Wolves, the versatile defender has some finish on him.

Raheem Sterling also deserves a mention. He has been struggling since he on loan from Chelsea on the Deadline Day of the summer transfer, often occupied the bank, but showed his best performance in an arsenal shirt last night.

Sterling registered two assists, his cross for the purpose of Declan Rice, especially remarkable when he hit a few players to place an impressive cross in front of his teammate.

He showed a showout that was not seen in recent weeks. His team will hope he can start from here.

Arsenal is not perfect and have opportunities, such as the lack of a recognized center Vooruit and waste in dominating property in the last third part.

Yet this season the Champions League is Arsenal's last hope for silverware after Liverpool left in the Premier League title race.

It means that they can all put their eggs in one basket and concentrate on this competition; They have the team to pose Real Madrid a threat.

It will undoubtedly be a difficult task. The European champions have a wealth of attacking options, such as Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior, who are able to score freely.

If the North London club has to admit, the track will be a gigantic club for the North London club, because they often struggled with scoring in the Premier League of recent times.

Although they lost the second stage to Atletico, Real Madrid had won their previous six consecutive Champions League matches, including both legs of their play-off double header with Manchester City.

However, the Spanish side will probably leave space for Arsenal to exploit, especially in the entire back positions where they are vulnerable. Moreover, Bukayo Saka returns – that is important.

Anyway, the gunners must keep Gabriel and William Saliba in cotton. On the proof of Jakub Kiwior's display, they would be very light in the middle of the back if one of those two were injured.

Kiwior was constantly out of position. His panic card near the goal at 18 minutes allowed Ivan Perisic to sneak inside and put a well -damaged finish past David Raya. He would be a clear weak link for teams to exploit.

There is still a long way to go, but the Arsenal season is not over yet.

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