Tony Adams wasn’t impressed whilst speaking to Premier League Productions about how Arsenal dealt with the Thomas Partey situation during their defeat in the North London derby.
Just before the break, Arsenal’s midfield aggressor began walking off the pitch because he had seemingly pulled his hamstring, but he left a big hole in the middle of the park.
Spurs capitalised at that moment, with Heung-Min Son and Harry Kane hitting them on the break and Arsenal’s defence being unable to organise themselves with Partey off the pitch.
Adams was fuming with Rob Holding and Gabriel because he thinks they should have been instructing their more advanced players to cover the holes left in midfield.
“Why is the central-defenders not spotting [the danger],” asked Adams. “There are four [Spurs] players there. Why aren’t they screaming at the midfield player?
“You have got a player walking off the pitch. You are going ‘hold on a minute, someone else sit in here’. Get is sewn up. It’s complete naivety.”
As Partey was going off, Arsenal still had possession of the ball inside Tottenham’s final third, but they lost it at a crucial moment.
That’s when Spurs hit them in a typical Mourinho fashion, with Mikel Arteta then pushing his player back onto the pitch to stop the goal from being scored.
By then, Partey was too late and he ended up hobbling off and being replaced at half-time. It just summed up the night Arsenal had and the season they are having.
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