Oleksandr Zinchenko has warned his new Arsenal teammates not to overestimate their comfortable 4-0 win over Chelsea on Sunday, setting the standard he expects.
The Gunners wrapped up their pre-season tour in the United States with a victory over Thomas Tuchel's men thanks to goals from Gabriel Jesus, Martin Odegaard, Bukayo Saka and Albert Sambi Lokonga. Arsenal ended their time in the US with three wins from three matches after beating Everton and Orlando City earlier in the week.
Mikel Arteta's men conceded just one goal in the process and are looking relatively strong ahead of their Premier League opener against Crystal Palace on August 5. However, despite thrashing Chelsea, Zinchenko has told his colleagues not to get carried away as there are still things his side 'can improve' on.
"It’s a massive pleasure to be here and I’m so happy with the result," Zinchenko said. "In terms of the game, of course, we did well, but there is still a couple of things we can improve. 4-0 is a great result, but this is a friendly and in the Premier League it will be different. I hope the result will be the same, but we need to work hard."
The Ukrainian won four Premier League titles and League Cups at City, as well as an FA Cup, and is used to being in a winning side. His message to his Arsenal teammates suggests he expects the same at his new club as they push for a top four finish this season.
Zinchenko made his unofficial Arsenal debut in the win over the Blues and impressed throughout his time on the pitch, looking composed on the ball and managed to get into some dangerous positions. Having signed from Manchester City in a deal worth around £32million last Thursday, the Ukrainian feels as though he is slowly integrating with the squad ahead of the new season.
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"I need to adapt as soon as possible and I am already starting to feel my team-mates really well and I am enjoying it here," he said. I want to say thanks a lot to the lads, all the coaching staff and to the medical staff for the warm welcome. That helped me a lot.
"The quality here is unbelievable. There’s a lot of very good players and I realise how high the level is.
"One of the main reasons I came [to Arsenal] was our manager, Mikel Arteta. I know him very well from my time at City and don’t forget that my boyhood team was always Arsenal, so the dream has come true."
Arsenal face Sevilla in their final pre-season friendly on Saturday in the Emirates Cup, before the season gets underway six days' later. They will be hoping to improve on last season's fifth place finish after missing out on Champions League football to Tottenham Hotspur.
