Thomas Partey was sensational for the Gunners in the 3-1 North London Derby victory against Tottenham on Saturday. The 29-year-old completely bossed proceedings in the middle of the park and was arguably the deciding factor in the game.
His influence was proven with an excellent goal from outside the 18-yard box. His strike in the first half gave Arsenal the lead as the Gunners went on to win the match to keep Mikel Arteta’s side at the top of the table after eight matches.
The Ghanaian’s dominance in the middle of the park gave Arsenal fans flashbacks of Patrick Vieira in an Arsenal shirt nearly two decades ago. It seems that Arsene Wenger’s 13-year mission to replace the Frenchman has finally been achieved by Arteta.
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Arsenal had been crying out for a Vieira replacement during the final years of Wenger’s tenure at Arsenal after the midfielder left to join Juventus in 2005. With new players constantly coming through the door, none could match the dominance that Vieira imposed in the middle of Highbury’s ground.
However, fast-forward 17 years, and it seems Arsenal have finally found their Viera replacement in Partey. The midfielder’s statistics since joining the club in 2020 certainly reflects his importance.
In Arsenal’s last 46 Premier League games, Partey has featured in 29 of them. The Gunners have won 21 matches he has featured in, with Arsenal only winning eight of the 17 matches he has missed.
Arsenal’s win percentage with Partey in the side is 71.4%, but it is only 47% when he is absent. It is because of this that Arteta’s side average 2.2 points per game compared to 1.5 points per game when the Ghanaian is not on the pitch.
The Gunners’ scoring rate also increases with Partey in the team, with an average goal rate of 2.0 per 90 minutes, but this decreases to 1.5 without him in the side. Not only does the scoring end benefit, but Arsenal also concede less with the 29-year-old in the team, as the defence on average allow the opposition to score 1.0 goals per game, compared to 1.6 goals when Partey is not in the team.
It is not just his influence from a statistics point of view that highlights how Partey is the Vieira successor. But, it is also the 29-year-old’s engine that allows him to cover all areas of the midfield, and alongside his physical dominance, he matches it with his excellent technical ability.
Not only does Partey break-up the play in midfield, he is also crucial in the build-up of an attack once the Gunners regain possession of the ball. Saturday’s fixture against Spurs also proved that is he capable of finishing off an attack after his marvellous strike that gave the Gunners the lead.
The Ghanaian’s influence in the midfield is certainly reminiscent to when Vieira used to wear the colours of red and white. If Partey was able to maintain his fitness over a consistent run of the games, it would highlight why the £45million release clause that Edu paid to sign Partey on summer transfer deadline day in 2020 was a bargain deal.
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