For three seasons, Mikel Arteta has resisted playing Oleksandr Zinchenko in midfield. It is the position he played until Pep Guardiola converted him into an inverted left-back — and still often does for Ukraine — but he has been all but phased out of the team in the last 12 months.

Arsenal cruised into the quarter-finals of the Champions League by knocking out PSV Eindhoven. The Gunners were already in control of the last-16 tie after winning the first leg in Eindhoven last week 7-1.

Not for a moment did the six goal margin Arsenal built for themselves in the first leg look under threat. The opportunity presented itself for him to indulge his unconventional desire to deploy as many left backs as one football team could hold.