Zinchenko received a portion of criticism in England for "falling asleep" on the pitch in the Arsenal match

Arsenal's legendary footballer Lee Dixon has criticised the defensive skills of Ukrainian Oleksandr Zinchenko. According to the 59-year-old English champion, who now works as an expert on British TV, our compatriot is not a "brilliant defender".

Dixon is convinced that it was the Ukrainian national team player who was to blame for the third goal conceded by Southampton in the match on April 21.

"Look at Zinchenko during this episode. He has his player, Sasha looks at him, he raises his hand and then just goes to sleep. He's not a brilliant defender," The Sun quoted Dixon as saying, citing Premier League Productions.

Lee Dixon also praised Oleksandr for his skills.

"He's a great ball carrier and Arsenal play to those strengths. But we saw how he played his part in Liverpool's equaliser at Anfield without the ball," said the former Arsenal player.

Dixon is confident that Zinchenko should always be focused on disrupting the opposition's attacks.

"He has to be alive as a defender, no matter where he is - in defence or midfield. His job is to keep the ball out of the net," the expert concluded.

This season, Zinchenko played 30 times for the Gunners in all competitions, scoring one goal and providing two assists.

But Friday's draw against Southampton, Arteta's third in a row, dealt a serious blow to Arsenal's bid for the Premier League title.

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