Ødegaard, Saka, Saliba and Zinchenko were probably the four players that received the most consistent plaudits for their outstanding displays on the field. Yet ask any proper Arsenal fan and they will tell you that Arsenal were only ever at their very best when the midfield mastermind Thomas Partey was on form.
Yes, on form, Partey protected the defence, linked defence and attack with fluid brilliance, picked out killer passes and even provided a long-distance goal threat with his terrifying hammer boot that sends the ball harder and faster in a straight line than I can remember anyone ever hitting a ball before.
Indeed, Arsenal were at their unstoppable oppressive pinnacle in 22/23 when the opposition no longer knew where to place themselves and who to mark to shut out the threat. Spread yourselves too evenly and the craft of the Arsenal players would find a way to work through and slot it in, but hold yourselves too far back and you risked being on the receiving end of one of Thomas “Thor” Partey’s thunderbolts. In those moments Arsenal simply felt irresistible.
Rice, for all his industry and tactical nous, still seems a long way off being able to produce the type of masterful displays that we have come to know from Partey. However, there is another side to our favourite Ghanaian footballer that fans of the clubs he has played for can’t help but notice – sometimes he just simply goes missing altogether.
Many griped and groaned about the time he spent out injured, of how we needed a player that was more consistently present on the field of play rather than warming a bench. For that he can hardly be blamed, but one can raise question marks over his character and performance during matches where he has in fact been amongst the on-field eleven, but one has the feeling that he might as well not even have been there at all.Many fans are of the opinion that had Partey continued his scintillating form through to the end of the season or at least managed to reproduce something near the type of performance level we know that he can, then we would have had a far greater chance of winning our first title in two decades.
True, Saliba’s injury greatly affected the team in terms of defensive solidity but Partey’s form falling off a cliff was just as much a cause of our decline in my opinion. Knowing how fantastic he can be, Arteta persisted with him until it became clear that he wasn’t going to get his mojo back. By the end he was but a pale shadow of the man that we had seen earlier on in the campaign.
This is not new for the player, either, for Diego Simeone and Atletico fans will tell you that they know the curious nature of Partey’s complex and mercurial talent – they let him go for the same reason of inconsistency.
Atletico have not yet managed to replace his skillset and many fear that Arsenal too will find it hard to fill the void he leaves behind if they do usher him out of the door. However, in signing Declan Rice we have the man that will fight tooth and nail to do so and has every chance of succeeding.
Added to Partey’s inconsistency and injury problems, there has also emerged the ugly story of criminal charges against him that cannot have helped him at all in playing his best football on a regular basis. One got the feeling that his head was elsewhere.
Rice, on the other hand, is the complete opposite of the Ghanaian in this respect. He has chosen to stay in London to be surrounded by the solid and supportive family he loves, he has his head squarely on his shoulders and he is a consistent performer. Rarely injured, he gives his all every game, showing incredible stamina and that relentlessness of persistence that fits so well with what has become the trademark style of “Artetaball”.
Arteta is forging a character and resilience to this team that we have not seen at the club since the likes of Adams and Keown departed. All of that combined with an intelligence of play that makes us very hard to beat.Seen this way, despite not quite being able to match Partey’s level of skill when at his best, Rice is quite possibly a better fit in terms of the spirit that the manager wants to instil in his players.
The impressive young man is known for his loveable and positive personality, for having been a huge influence in the West Ham dressing room, and is seen as a serious candidate for future England captain as well as Arsenal skipper.
On top of his obvious qualities as a player, these rare character traits are part of what have made Rice’s price tag quite so high.
In the long run I’m sure all concerned will look back and see it as a very wise investment indeed.
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