Mikel Arteta has made some eye-raising team selection decisions and substitutions this season which have displayed a sense of both cutthroat mentality and loyalty.
Arsenal have seen players like Kieran Tierney and Nicolas Pepe lose their starting positions in the team with both struggling to earn any minutes altogether. Bukayo Saka’s injury against Newcastle saw Gabriel Martinelli chosen ahead of the Ivorian to the surprise of most sparking discussions over his Arsenal future.
Thomas Partey looks next on the list of players who could, or rather should face the chopping block from the starting eleven after a very disappointing display against Manchester United.
The Ghanaian midfielder showed a lack of awareness several times when in possession. Losing the ball in a number of dangerous positions after having too large a touch or taking too much time to make a decision.
Moving from La Liga, Partey shone in the Spanish top tier with the way he progressed the ball, recovered possession and dominated the middle third.
To say that has not been seen at Arsenal would be entirely incorrect. Ironically, the match at Old Trafford last season, where a Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang penalty was enough to snatch all three points, saw all the aforementioned characteristics at their very Partey-esque best.
However, fast-forwarding to the same fixture this season and a complete contrast was seen.
The impressive showings of Sambi Lokonga have outshone his more senior midfield partner and the Belgian would certainly come back into the team for the match against Everton.
Where the question before would be ‘Who will partner Partey?’ The rhetoric is quickly turning into who should replace him to pair up with Lokonga in the middle.
However, unlike Tierney or Pepe, the central midfield, especially with Granit Xhaka still injured, lacks an obvious choice and therefore it is understandable perhaps that the 28-year-old will remain in place.
Ainsley Maitland-Niles did shine against Watford when Partey was absent, however, he quickly was dropped from the team for the trip to Anfield.
Maybe the time to return the England international has come for a must-win game at Goodison if Arsenal want to continue their chase for the top four.
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