Oleksandr Zinchenko sets Arsenal challenge for second half of season

Arsenal defender Oleksandr Zinchenko has challenged the Gunners to retain their mental strength and avoid fatigue heading into the second half of the campaign.

Arsenal lead the Premier League as the competition prepares to return following a six-week pause for the 2022 World Cup. Mikel Arteta’s side have already played 21 games in all competitions and will play at least six games before the end of January and at least another five in February.

Zinchenko, who has missed more than 10 games in his debut season as an Arsenal player because of knee and calf injuries, is confident in the team’s ability to stay physically fresh.

“What I’ve seen in the past, if you have the right attitude and the right behaviour on and off the pitch, you can’t be tired physically. You can be only tired in the head – everything is coming from your head,” the player told Arsenal.com.

“If you do all the things right in your routine – your sleep, your food, look after yourself well – and you do everything to prepare your body fresh. If you do everything right, you can’t be tired physically,” he added.

Beaten just once in the Premier League so far this season and winning 12 of their 14 games, Arsenal managed to open a five-point cushion at the top of the table ahead of reigning champions Manchester City. But continuing that momentum and avoiding injuries will be key.

Unfortunately, star forward Gabriel Jesus has already succumbed to an injury suffered at the World Cup and isn’t expected to return until the end of February, putting pressure on Eddie Nketiah to step into the Brazilian’s shoes for the next couple of months.

“I have no doubts that Nketiah is going to do his job amazingly and everyone trusts him. We have such a great group of people. We have this feeling of togetherness,” Zinchenko added.