In a surprising tactical adjustment during Arsenal’s match against Nottingham Forest yesterday, Mikel Arteta positioned Thomas Partey as a right-back.
Recognised as one of the Premier League’s premier defensive midfielders, Partey has consistently excelled in that capacity since his arrival at Arsenal.
Nonetheless, Arteta’s decision saw Partey tasked with the right-back role, a departure from the norm, as Ben White held central defensive duties and Jurrien Timber assumed the left-back position.
Throughout the match, Partey frequently migrated into the midfield, prompting scepticism from Micah Richards about his aptitude for that particular role.
He said on the BBC:
“For me, it just didn’t work how they wanted.
“16 touches [in the first 13 minutes] on the right, but for the rest of the game, he’s in midfield. And one concern I do have is defensively, if you’re going to play in that position, you’re going to get isolated in these areas. One versus one. And has he got the capability to deal with that situation? We know that in midfield, but against better teams, they’re going to get punished.
“On the ball, Partey was fantastic. But in terms of the fluidity of the team, I’m not sure it worked today.”
Just Arsenal Opinion
Partey is one of the best midfielders in our squad and, strangely, Arteta used him as a right-back in that game.
However, Arteta will likely have trialled him and some other players in that position in training before arriving at the decision.
We trust the manager to make the right choice for as long as possible because he has shown we have nothing to worry about.