thomas-partey-arsenal-premier-league
Well, here we are, 37 games and ten months later, Arsenal are still just about in the Premier League title race on the final day of the season.
Granted, it might require a Herculean effort from West Ham United at the Etihad to help Mikel Arteta's side clinch their first title in two decades, but it's David Moyes' final game in charge, and stranger things have happened.
That said, before Arsenal fans can start dreaming of a 90th-minute Michail Antonio dagger, there is the small matter of Everton at home to contend with, and if the Gunners are going to claim all three points to keep Manchester City honest, they're going to have to be on their A-Game against Sean Dyche's Toffees.
mikel-arteta-arsenal-premier-league
So, with that in mind, Arteta should look to make at least one change to the side that won away to Manchester United last Sunday: drop Thomas Partey.
Why Partey should be benched
The answer is quite straightforward. While Arsenal came away with all three points from Old Trafford last week, Partey put in a performance that, on another day, could have cost the team.
Thomas-Partey-Martin-Odegaard
For example, a lapse of concentration early in the first half led to a golden opportunity for Rasmus Hojlund, who should have done better.
The Standard's Simon Collings wasn't overly impressed with the 30-year-old's display either, awarding him a 6/10 on the day and writing, blaming him for the early chance and writing that his 'passing was mixed.'
Partey's game vs United
Minutes
89'
Passing Accuracy
93%
Shots
0
Expected Assists
0.02
Touches
47
Long Balls (Accurate)
3 (1)
Key Passes
0
Aerial Duels (Won)
1 (0)
Possession Lost
4
All Stats via Sofascore
This appraisal is backed up by the midfielders' statistics from the match. In his 89 minutes of action, he maintained a passing accuracy of just 93%, misplaced two of three long balls, lost 100% of his aerial duels, lost the ball four times, and produced an expected assists figure of just 0.02.
In all, it wasn't a horror show of a performance, but it wasn't one that warrants him starting in the final game of a season-long title race, especially as the man who could replace him has played wonderfully at times this year.
Why Jorginho should start against Everton
Yes, the midfielder who should come in for the former Atlético Madrid ace this afternoon is former Chelsea star Jorginho.
Jorginho-Arsenal
The last game the Italian international started was the 3-0 win away to Brighton & Hove Albion in April, and since then, he has made several short appearances off the bench.
However, with a new contract under his belt and a string of seriously impressive performances this season, he should be starting against the Toffees.
Moreover, with most of the talk ahead of this game centring on the assumption that Arsenal will win, there is ample opportunity for the team to get ahead of themselves, and the former Napoli ace has already shown that he can bring an element of calm to the north Londoners' midfield in crucial games.
For example, the "ridiculous" 32-year-old maestro, as described by data analyst Ben Mattinson, started in and won the Man of the Match awards at home to both Liverpool and Newcastle United earlier in the year and played 75 minutes of the club's 1-0 win over City in October.
0 Comments