Zoro doesn´t really look bad, I protect back then Sanji too when he carry Luffy in end of WCi, where he face many ministers at once, he was protectless too, yet people hate/bash Sanji for over one year for that performance, who wasn´t really bad.
The same can say now too, these characters aren´t fodders, Zoro make it clear, Kid make it clear and also Luffy make it clear. They are individually strong and if we add the numbers they are a really strong force, Zoro in otherway need to save his stamina for the later battle against Kaido and his calamity, he can´t go all out.
I already hate the bash against Sanji back then and I hate the bash for Zoro right now, but it seems like that is the regular fandom battle between two sides, so...