A jovial Oleksandr Zinchenko told Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard that he was awe for their work ethics after running the machine room against PSV Eindhoven.
The Ukraine International, 28, was mentioned in a much-changing XI by Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta with a place in the quarterfinals of the Champions League, anything but assured after a pounding 7-1 win in the first stage of their round of 16 draw.
Zinchenko regularly plays in the central midfield for his country, but is mainly played as a left back for most of his Premier League career.
He scored and impressed by the new look team of Arteta while they pulled 2-2 at night. And he joked that he paid tribute to the work ethics of Rice and Odegaard during the half -time interval.
When he was asked to play there again, he told TNT Sports: “I would not say that it is a completely new position for me because I played my entire life there, and a lot for the national team. Of course at this high level, at Arsenal, they are other requirements.
I just told the boys to Martin during the break [Odegaard] and declan [Rice]”Unbelievable, now I realize how much you walk every three days!” These are the requirements, this is the level. “
The reward of Arsenal for placing PSV on two legs means that they are confronted with Real Madrid in the quarterfinals after they have defeated Atletico Madrid on penalties to continue.
The Gunners have now reached the last eight of the Champions League in successive years and Arteta paid tribute to that performance. He said after the game: “We must appreciate that and acknowledge that it is very difficult to do. Now we want to take the next step. It is very difficult, but we are able to do it.
'It's important for us because we want to win – and to win, you have to go through the phases and because the club needs it.
“We are a club that wants to be the best and want to compete with the best in the world. To do that, you have to be there constant. It is very difficult, but we did it for two years in a row and we have the capacity and the ability to do it even better. “
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