While some of our players are on international duty and others who did not link up with their national teams are resting and recharging, Mikel Arteta should be devising a flawless tactical plan to unleash when Arsenal returns to action (against Chelsea).We almost certainly expect Thomas Partey to play the next time Arsenal plays. Mikel Arteta will be tempted to use him more now after his excellent cameo in our 1-0 win over Manchester City, and he played another 45 minutes for Ghana last night as well, proving his return to fitness.
That said, it is unknown how Arteta will reintroduce Thomas Partey into his starting lineup. The Ghana international played as an inverted right back in the opening few games of the season before picking up an injury, and while many of us were uneasy with him doing so, Arteta should have had a good reason to do so.
We shouldn’t be surprised if he reprises that role against Chelsea. However, this could imply that Gabriel Magalhaes is dropped, as he was in the first three games of the season. Is dropping the Brazilian defender a wise move given his improved form and his threat in corners and other set pieces?
Other than playing as an inverted right back, he could also return to the No. 6 role, which would allow Declan Rice to play as an offensive midfielder or vice versa. This structure has the potential to radically alter the dynamics of our engine room. But will Arteta go that route?
Where Thomas Partey will play is a mystery. Even so, there are hints that after the international break, he could play a major role. Such a hint is that Mikel Arteta is focused on getting him match fit again, thus sending him to international duty with an Arsenal physician.
Chelsea preparing to face us may not know what to expect, and Partey’s positioning may be the hidden weapon — an element of surprise — we employ to crush them and claim London’s bragging rights.
Darren N
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I don’t car who will sit on the bench all I know is Partey has to start the match. Partey is the only world class player we have in the team so as long as he’s fit, he has to be in the starting line up.
Agree, that’s why he should be handled with kids gloves
The “ONLY ” world class player we have? . REALLY!!!?? I reckon we have three others at least, in Rice, Saka and Saliba.
Jon
Martinelli? I would say that Martinelli is as good if not slightly better than Saka. Martinelli puts in a full shift offensively and defensively, where Saka sometimes slacks off on the defensive side.
Perhaps from being overplayed, but Saka does drop off defensively in games.
Durand, Can’t quite agree , much as I ADMIRE MARTINELLIS WORKRATE AND ALL ROUND PLAY. To me, being reliably fit is a key part of proving oneself world class and on THAT MATTER ONLY, I cannot QUITE go along with you.
But hey, aren’t we lucky to have them both!
Jon thank you for this your reply to Durand. I keep telling people being a world class player means you have to be able to stay fit and be available for your team when the team needs you. And Martineli is not even close to Saka in quality. People mistake work rate for quality, saka is the only winger we have that can conviniently work into any national team in the world or any club first 11 in the world.
Lenohappy, Well, thank you for your kind words.
To be totally clear and further to what I said above, I have noted that last season Martinelli even outscored SAKA. And MARTINELLI is a workaholic, something I have always admired in any player who does the same. I do also note that SAKA, more than MARTINELLI, brings an obvious fear factor to our opponents, with just cause.
I go back as far and well beyond George “Geordie” Armstrong , a winger whose work rate was SO prodigious that fans used to say he played on both wings “at once”!
I adored him and he was , incredibly, never given a FULL England cap, despite being a true great IMO.
Equally , for opposite reasons of extreme idleness, I was implacably opposed to such as Ozil, who was IMO our single most disastrous signing ever.
WORKRATE ALLIED TO RELIABLE FITNESS- AS YOU CORRECTLY SAY- are both key factors in being a true world class player. Obviously sublime talent is key too.
All that prevents MARTINELLI attaining that status, right now, is reliable fitness. But lack of it matters immensely, aa we both agree.
It would be truly interesting to have the legendary Alex take here as only Ranaldo, Scholes, Giggs and i think Cantona he saw as world class players talents he managed, no space for the Keane and others.
But am in agreement,
I see Rice, Saka, Saliba and Martinelli as truly top players, on the verge of breaking into that small elite group of world class players.
In my opinion world class players are indeed generational talented players like Kevin de Bruyne, Ronaldo, Mbappe, Party and Rodri
Gunsmoke. I totally agree with you, like i said I believe Partey is the only world class player we have, Saka Martinelli Odegard Saliba are good players but definitely not world class.
Jon Martinelli is a good player but world class absolutely not, Saka is close to being world class but he’s not yet and Rice is definitely not world class. You can make a case for Saliba being world class but he has to be consistent for at least 4 seasons before he can be considered a world class player. The only player close to a world class in this arsenal team are Saka saliba and Odegard.
Lenohappy, I do take your point about consistency over a decent enough period, ought to be attained before trumpeting ANY player as world class. Four seasons is too excessive , for me though!
To my mind though, SAKA, SALIBA, RICE AND EVEN ODEGAARD have all attained that level and are thus WC. But hey, wouldn’t it be boring if we always agreed with each other.
Partey is world class! One of the best DMs in the world!
👍 Darren N certainly doesn’t rate Arsenal players!
What about the likes of Odegaard, Jesus etc?
Partey is the only world-class we have in the team…? Like seriously? Well, if Partey is world-class, I suppose Rice, Saliba, Odegaard, and Saka would be super world-class then, right?
I guess Arteta will play safe by playing Partey in the CDM position and Rice in the left mezzala position
Havertz could start the game as a CF and Jesus could play on the left wing or the right wing if Saka is still unfit. Martinelli and Vieira could be our super-subs
But with both Saka and Martinelli fit, Havertz imo must be on the bench.
If Saka and Martineli is fit HAVERTZ will definitely be on the bench.
Unless Arteta wants Havertz to win aerial duels against Chelsea’s CBs
Plays Partey in a double pivot role with a 4 : 2 : 3 ; 1 formation, we then switch to a 4 : 3 : 3 in attack with Partey, Odegaard and Rice in a deep laying three midfield.
———————–Raya
-White—-Saliba——Magahlase—Zinchenko
——————–Partey —-Rice
—-Saka——-Odegaard ———Martinelli
————————-Jesus
Sterling is back to his best with good support at the Bridge so a 4 2 3 1 , we should start out with.
Gunsmkoe, Apart from RAMSDALE being my keeper of first choice, I agree with ALL your eleven. The reason I do not yet put RAYA above RAMSDALE is that both look nervy, at times, with the ball at their feet but RAYA has made, thus far, ONLY ONE top class save, the Spuds scoop save, somewhat overhyped anyway, in my view.
RAMSDALE HAS MADE COUNTLESS MATCH AND POINT SAVING SAVES, WHICH IMO, MAKES HIM FIRST CHOICE.
Honestly, I can’t argue against that as in my humble opinion there isn’t any significant difference between the two goalies.
I hope you are proved right. But to my mind , until RAYA has shown , regularly in OUR shirt, that he can make many outstanding saves a la RAMSDALE, then he has NOT, , to my satisfaction, yet proved he is an equal.
We may well expect it and we may well be right, in due course.
But UNTIL WE HAVE ACTUAL EVIDENCE, Raya is not yet RAMSDALES equal. Not for me anyway. I need proof and that does not yet exist!
Yes Jon I also prefer Ramsdale to Raya, to be honest I don’t get the hype about Raya I don’t see any difference between him and Ramsdale although with Ramsdale you know he will always pull out world class saves.
Isnt the “difference” that RAYA has NOT YET, proved he can regularly make world class saves? I think so anyway.
UNTIL RAYA HAS DONE SO, I do not see HOW anyone can honestly believe he has YET proven RAMSDALES EQUAL.
SMPLE AS THAT FOR ME.
we have more than one world class pl. Surely Saka and
Jesus fit that mold, Saliba, Maghales and Ben White are
there as well.. Declan Rice deserves a mention as well !! Then there is my personal favorite ESR..?
During his time with Man Utd, Alex Ferguson considered he had managed only 4 “World Class” players whereas you are suggesting that we currently have 6/7 in that category.Your understanding of the meaning of World Class is clearly at odds with a seasoned and very successful Manager so may I suggest you reconsider your thoughts..
kjell, Are you not allowing your natural fan bias and enthusiam for our many top class players, to run away with false superlatives? I think you are !
There is no way that Jesus, Gabriel our CB, White or even the fine and wrongly marginalised ESR, can IN REALITY, be sensibly regarded as world class Top class yes, but world class , alas NO!.
BTW, I ought to have added Odegaard to my own list of WC players in my above post.
And Rice certainly DOES deserve a mention, as he TRULY IS world class
Sometimes the questions and views here are mind boggling at best, and near insensible at worst.
Partey has already played well and contributed to the win against ManCity. Why on earth is anyone wondering how or where he’s going to fit after injury? We’ve been here with Partey the 5 years.
Are we going to ask where or how Saka is going to fit into the team following his injury?🤦🏽♂️🤦🏽♂️🤷🏿
Interesting.
So you believe Partey (and maybe Saka too) has only ever played one position – and he will always be there in every single game?
If you believe that then your view is just as mind-boggling!
👍👍👍
Partey as CDM or with rice
It will be awesome to see
……………………Rams/Raya
White Saliba, Magahlase, , Zinchenco
, …………………Partey, Rice,
Saka……….odegaard…Martinelli/Trossard
…………………………..Jesus
play together
We have a very good team. The best team in ages lol
Stephanie, Certainly our best team since the INVINCIBLES and by a considerable distance too, IMO.
It is the first time in almost twenty years that we have at long, long last,a defence with ALL top class or at least decent defenders.
I exclude only Elneny from that description and expect him to only ever play in injury crisies, or possibly dead rubber matches in CL, and even then, only to give far better players a needed rest.
Drop Havertz and play Partey in midfield; this is our strongest and best setup.
For anyone to suggest that Havertz in midfield, Partey at RB, and replacing Gabriel with White at CB is a stronger or better setup is laughable.
Why tinker with a Ferrari? Play your best and make your opponents adapt, why tinker and do it for them?
Durand, anyone who believes that Odegaard, Rice and Partey is not Arsenal’s best current midfield (is when all players are fit and available), is “out with the fairies”.
Arsenal has previously had problems winning the midfield battle; the midfield above is Arsenal’s best chance of midfield dominance.
Playing Thomas Partey at RB (when other options were available) thus wasting a dominating DM, and dropping Gabriel were decisions Arteta made, which are difficult to fathom.
Partey was playing inverted RB because Zinchenko and Timber was injured. And Tomiyasu and Kiwior not progressive to do so. It’s a bit tiring now to stress that Arsenal plays with at least one inverted fullback to dominate the midfield. If Zinchenko is around, then Partey will play DM and move Rice to no 8. Jorginho will be itching to play against his old club and he performed brilliantly against Man City. Perhaps Partey needs a bit of time to recover and let Jorginho to play first.
by the time of the Chelsea game it will be 2 weeks since City, so unless a new injury should be fully recovered and start as DMF with Rice and Odegaard either side
Timber wasn’t injured when Partey played RB
for me the Partey at RB experiment was not a success, and could quickly become a vulnerability against quality forwards
Partey position vs chelsea will be clear indication if inverted RB experiment was only a back up plan for Zinchenko unavailability beta tested in the last 2 matches of the previous season or a new system.
The best position for Partey is in the midfield as no.6. This allows Rice to have more freedom and unleash his creativity whilst Partey guards the back 4. I would consider a midfield of Partey-Rice-Odegaard, this would work wonders.