As with Havertz, Partey is also staying back due to an “illness”.
I thought the international break back in March/April was funny with the players staying back ahead of the run-in but we(and other top clubs tbf) are already doing this shit in October.
Bayern, Man Utd and Madrid have done the same with a couple of their players too.
Are you sure Man Utd have done this or is it the national teams asking those players to stay back given how shit they are?
In Man Ure’s case? Probably. 
Thought he was good in the first half. Moving him to RB killed us. He’s shit there
He was our best player against Bournemouth as well.
Been in very good form this season overall.
Him and Rice don’t excite when playing together, especially without Ødegaard there. They both want to be the 6 and they can’t fight their natural instincts to be fairly defensive / playmakerish. Rice being forced to do #8 duties doesn’t work out because he isn’t an adventurous passer.
Play these guys together and you duplicate the defensive mindset in midfield. Too much overlap in terms of wanting to sit in front of the defence but before the centre circle space. It’s not a great balance and it makes Rice looks pretty mediocre at times.
Looked good there last season but he’s been underwhelming at best this one.
Partey our best midfielder this season. Should’ve sold him 2 summers ago though iinit…
We definitely would’ve been in big trouble without him so far this season.
Goes to show what a massive miss he was for us last season.
I believe Southampton was his first loss in almost two years. I don’t believe he was involved in our other losses since coming back from injury.
Strangely, I think Partey is at his best vs the big teams and in the big games. His composure on the ball is key.
Has to start against Liverpool.
I’m surprised Partey has even managed a string of games this season, whilst everyone else has taken his place in the injury room.
He wants a new deal so he’s staying away from all baby showers and international duty.
Possibly one of his best games of late. Arteta did say Partey came back with great fitness levels and shape. Hopefully he can offer a lot more availability this season.
Outside of Raya, there’s a shout that Partey has been our best player this season.
Said this for a while now but he’s the most disrespected Arsenal player by a margin. I totally understand the frustration around his injuries and availability. And totally get the concerns around his decline in terms of physical sharpness and being able to play a long stretch of games as a result of those injuries. But he undoubtedly brings composure and nous to the midfield. I don’t believe there was an intention to play him this often but injuries and now form have kind of forced it. And he deserves some credit for being key in that time for sure.
For me he’s in the top 3 of our best players with Saka and Raya. Didnt know he still had this in him!
Yeah he’s gotten better week on week. I hope he stays fit he’s by far the most important of the midfielders that can sit deep for us.
I feel like watching him live at the stadium is where you can appreciate why he’s been such a high level 6 much more so. These little aspects like the closeness of control and performance under pressure are a bit less prominent on TV for some reason. No way a player like Partey survives under Arteta this long without being quite exceptional.
But to avoid sounding too carried away with him, yes you also see where he has declined physically. When he’s fatigued it’s quite obvious also. Game time still needs to be managed.
Yeah I would definitely agree to that. You realise how good a player he is and how ridiculously composed he is.
The difference in quality on the ball between him and Rice is ridiculous too.
Rice has definitely taken a beating with the schedule and amount of work rate he’s had to put in for England. Last season he looked imperious and was doing very well in the 8, even in terms of his passing imo. It’s obviously not on Partey’s level but it was considerably better than it has been this season.
Jorginho and Merino need to step in soon I think.
He got cooked once or twice in the second half by Diaz but that first half performance from him was outrageous.
Probably one of his best halves at Arsenal.
Not only couldn’t Diaz get past him but he intercepted him so many times and started a dangerous attack for us.
For a player a lot of people were worried before, he’s turning out one of our best and most reliable players this season.
So glad we kept hi.