Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey has identified the big difference between Mikel Arteta and Diego Simeone following his transfer from Atletico Madrid.
The Ghana international has quickly become an integral member of the Gunners ' squad this season, though he has encountered some injury problems.
Signed last year as one of two marquee signings, alongside Gabriel Magalhaes, Partey has become a fan favourite at the Emirates Stadium, providing a solid protective blanket to the defence and also showing his range of passing ability by pinging long balls forward.
That has seen Partey catch the eye in more ways than one, building on his solid defensive output that he was renowned for in the Spanish capital.
Speaking about Arteta and former boss Simeone, Partey believes there are a number of similarities but has identified a big difference between the pair.
“Mikel is helping me a lot. At Atletico, I played in a similar position. The system is not the same back there, you have to be well positioned to be able to go around your marker, and here Mikel is helping a lot because I remember, he said you don’t have to be in the same line and opposite the defender," he told Stadium Astro.
"You have time to be able to do whatever you want and this is amazing. It’s just as important, you need to keep it in mind and whenever your teammates have the ball, you know who you are in line with, who you are not in line with and this is helping me a lot.
“I think both of them have the same mentality, which is winning. Both of them want to be in control, you always have the chance to create in behind and the difference is we don’t give chances, we press high.
"We always do a high press, from the first minute to the last minute, and in Atletico sometimes you have to wait for the opposition to move around you and you hit them on the counter.”
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