Gary Neville says Thomas Partey looks like the ‘shadow’ of the player that was performing so well for large parts of the season after Arsenal’s 3-0 defeat to Brighton in the Premier League on Sunday.
A big reason why Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal were sitting at the top of the Premier League table for large parts of the season was because of Thomas Partey protecting the back four.
The 29-year-old was proving to be one of the best number six’s in England and allowing the more forward-thinking players to flow.
But ever since Arsenal let a 2-0 goal slip at Anfield by drawing 2-2, not only has the team’s form gone out of the window, but so has Partey’s.
To the point that Arteta dropped one of his star players for their recent win against Chelsea and he was on the bench again for the loss to European-chasing, Brighton.
When the Ghana star come off the pitch, he committed a foul late on and Neville was critical of the player, as he told Sky Sports Premier League (14/05/23).
“He’s been in a shadow of himself in the last few weeks, Partey,” said Neville. “He has been nowhere near it. A large part of the season, he has been fantastic.
“His form and composure have deserted him at the most vital time.”
PARTEY’S FORM
Back in January, all the talk was about Arsenal needing to bring in a defensive-minded midfielder to cover for Partey, in case he got injured.
Several bids were put in for Moises Caicedo, but instead, the more possession-based Jorginho joined from Chelsea.
Yet, little did Arsenal fans know that, those worries about Partey getting injured weren’t going to be the issue, but his form falling off and playing a part in the club’s end-of-the-season collapse.
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