The Gunners cruised to a 2-0 victory over PSG in the Champions League but Leicester and Southampton caused problems.
Arsenal star Bukayo Saka
Once again, Mikel Arteta's men were cruising against the Foxes, only to surrender two second-half goals and leave it late to eventually win 4-2. Late heroics were not needed against the Saints but through Cameron Archer they did take the lead.
Arteta decided to mix things up with his team selection, starting Gabriel Jesus and Raheem Sterling ahead of both Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Martinelli.
Considering the duo were both required just after the hour mark, the selection of the aforementioned duo wasn't vindicated.
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That said, the experiment of playing Thomas Partey at right-back did work as he left the field having completed 95% of his passes, won six of his eight ground duels and completed four tackles. It wasn't a bad day at the office, but it doesn't mean he should have a long-term future at the Emirates Stadium.
The latest on Thomas Partey's future
Partey has certainly been a Marmite character at Arsenal throughout the years. The midfielder's performances are rather inconsistent but when he's on-song, he's a cracking asset and as he showed on Saturday afternoon, the Ghanaian is versatile too.
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So, what does the future hold for the former Atletico Madrid man? He's been linked with moves in recent transfer windows with Saudi Arabia noted as one possible destination.
However, he could now leave on a free transfer with his contract coming to an end in the summer of 2025. Partey might actually stay, though, with reports over the last week suggesting that talks are set to open regarding a new deal in north London.
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Arteta still seems to rate the player, speaking incredibly highly of his attitude in training since arriving back for pre-season a few months ago.
"He's a key player for us, he's a massive player and we can see that week in week out. The way he came back post-holidays was probably the best condition that he's been. Now it's about managing him." - Arteta on Partey.
That said, he will be 32 next season and perhaps Arsenal could do with a replacement.
Arsenal eyeing dream Thomas Partey replacement
Reports emerging from Spain have suggested that, despite spending £105m on Declan Rice and £31.6m on Mikel Merino, another midfielder could arrive in 2025.
That name happens to be Real Madrid's Aurelien Tchouameni. The Frenchman hasn't had the best of starts to the season in the Spanish capital and his head looks to be on the chopping block.
While fellow Premier League side Liverpool are said to be the frontrunners to sign the midfielder, Arsenal and Manchester United also want to bring him to English football in a deal that could be worth around €80m (£67m).
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So, why would he be a good signing? Well, as analyst Raj Chohan called it, Tchouameni is "one of the best defensive midfielders on the planet." Not bad praise, is it?
With Rice in the squad, Arsenal aren't crying out for another big name but in their quest to topple Manchester City they are going to need all the quality they can find and the addition of the France international would be another major statement.
He's featured 99 times for Madrid since signing from AS Monaco a few years back and has cemented himself as a key cog in Carlo Ancelotti's juggernaut. What qualities could he bring to Arsenal, and how does he compare to Rice and Partey? We have the answer.
What can we deduce from this? Well, precisely what Chohan said - that Tchouameni is among the most elite defensive midfielders in the game.
Compared to Rice he boasts a fractionally better pass success rate and over a long distance, he's way ahead of Partey and the former West Ham man.
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He makes more forward passes per 90 minutes, is stronger in the aerial duel and makes a healthy number of ball recoveries, more than Rice but fewer than Partey.
A ball recovery is defined by the number of loose balls recovered by a player.
Looking at those numbers, the only thing you'd perhaps lose compared to the Ghanaian midfielder is take-ons, but Arsenal have so many of those ball carriers in the squad that it should not matter too greatly. After all, Jorginho has been a roaring success without being hugely progressive in his take-ons.
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