The Mids Are Alright
A rather unorthodox summer transfer window slammed shut on October 5. For a while, it appeared that Gabriel would be the last significant signing Arsenal made this calendar year, and that Mikel Arteta would have to suffer through another few months of a two-man midfield likelier to contain Mohamed Elneny than we were all comfortable with. At the eleventh hour, however, the club managed to seal the signing of Thomas Partey from under the noses of Atletico Madrid. The Ghanaian midfielder arrives with a massive reputation and easily strolls into a starting place in the middle of the pitch for Arsenal. Partey’s signing could very well prove to be a season-changing moment for the club. Not only does his calibre instantly improve the quality of Arsenal’s midfield, but his skills and attributes unlock the beloved 4-3-3 formation as a possibility for Arteta and quite likely makes the midfield good enough to sustain a push for a Champions League place.
Arsenal have found themselves regularly dominated in midfield in recent years. Partey donning the red and white goes a long way toward fixing that. First and foremost, Partey brings an almost unmatched mobility to the midfield. Heat maps show that he has the ability to cover the vast majority of the pitch, making him a defensive force on the field. Last season in La Liga, Partey averaged 2.43 tackles every 90 minutes, making him one of the more regular tacklers in an already defensively adept Atletico Madrid side. Additionally, of all Atletico players to feature for a minimum of 500 minutes last season, only Felipe made more interceptions per 90 than Partey. Of that same group of players, none mustered a higher rate of ball recoveries than the Ghanaian. On top of all that, Partey was only dribbled past an average of once per 90. All in all, his defensive numbers are top-tier, which leads to a common misperception that Thomas Partey is a defensive midfielder. However, he brings more to Arsenal’s midfield than steel.
Partey is also incredibly adept offensively. With a knack for playing line-breaking passes and a reliable ability to dribble past players, Partey will make Arsenal more capable of transitioning quickly from defense to attack. He averaged more passes into the final third and completed more take-ons than any other Atletico player last season. Even with the high number of take-ons he attempted, Partey still managed to make 83.8% of those take-ons successful. This is a better success rate than any other player in Europe’s top five leagues who attempted at least 50 take-ons last season. Simply put, Thomas Partey can do it all. He is one of the most complete midfielders in Europe. And now he will feature regularly in the middle of the park for Arsenal Football Club.
Thomas’ versatility will allow Mikel Arteta much flexibility when it comes to how he sets up his team. His defensive ability will allow him to play in a midfield pair if the manager continues to opt for his now-signature 3-4-3 formation. However, the new signing’s talent for carrying the ball up the pitch and playing line-breaking passes also unlocks the possibility of Arteta reverting back to a 4-3-3 now that he has the personnel to play that way. In a 4-3-3, Partey would fit perfectly on the right hand side. Not only can he dangerously carry the ball forward into the final third and link up with attacking players, but his experience playing as a makeshift right-back would allow him to tuck in and cover for Hector Bellerin whenever the Spaniard roams upfield. This would allow the full-back to bomb up the wing, which would in turn allow Nicolas Pepe (if he retains his position at right-wing) to move inside on his preferred left foot. Additionally, Partey can pivot well in a midfield three, allowing the other two to play No. 8 roles while he operates as a lone No. 6 who can gather the ball from his own penalty area and progress it up the pitch through multiple methods.
Most Arsenal fans appear to have settled on Granit Xhaka as Partey’s preferred midfield partner in either setup. However, the most effective midfielder to complete Arsenal’s midfield dynamic duo would likely be Dani Ceballos. The promising loanee has a better skillset than Xhaka’s for playing in the dynamic midfield Arteta is aiming to create. So far this season in the Premier League, Ceballos has almost twice as many ball recoveries to his name, more blocks, more passes attempted, more tackles made, more take-ons completed (Ceballos has 7, Xhaka has none), more than three times as many interceptions as Xhaka, more assists, four times as many chances created, more completed passes, fewer unsuccessful passes, and more through balls attempted, with the Swiss international having played more minutes. While Xhaka has Ceballos soundly beat at playing long passes, the numbers show that Ceballos is clearly more of an all-action midfielder than Xhaka is.
Why is it important for Partey’s partner to be an all-action player? Because it makes the midfield more fluid, and therefore much more effective in the modern game. A theme of Arteta’s time in charge at Arsenal has been fluidity. From having Xhaka drop back into a center-back position to getting Kieran Tierney to fluctuate between left center-back and left wing-back to Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang swapping left wing and second striker to Bukayo Saka or Ainsley Maitland-Niles drifting from left wing-back to central midfield, Arteta has continually employed systems that allow his players to play multiple positions throughout a match. The functions described above served the boss well in covering for his squad’s defensive flaws in a 3-4-3. However, a 4-3-3 implemented with Partey as its centerpiece will likely feature a system that brings out the best in Arteta’s attacking players. Willian might drift between the left flank and a No. 10 slot. Pepe might tuck in so as to swing in crosses or curl in goals on his left foot, or even to play as a second striker next to Aubameyang or Lacazette. Bellerin and Tierney will be allowed to stream forward to facilitate more threatening wide play.
However, this doesn’t happen without a fluid, mobile midfield. Arteta’s midfield three will need to be athletic — they will be required to break up play, provide creativity and some goal threat, play out from the back and through presses in transition from defense to attack, and be able to switch between carrying the ball up the pitch and sitting back and punching in line-breaking passes. Xhaka simply doesn’t fit this mold. He is far from press-resistant, is not mobile enough to carry the ball and take his man on, and doesn’t have the offensive contributions that Ceballos has demonstrated. For those reasons, Arteta is likely to go with Ceballos as the man to partner Partey at the base of midfield. But, in line with Arteta’s penchant for fluidity, it would not be surprising for the midfield three to fluctuate in shape. This would likely feature a midfield that starts with Willian as a center attacking midfielder or Saka in that same role or as a left center midfielder. Additionally, if one is in the midfield three the other can play at left wing, again showing the potential fluidity and dynamism that Partey’s arrival unlocks. One of Partey or Ceballos may then move up the field and play as a No. 8 alongside Willian or Saka, and then occasionally revert to playing as a No. 6 alongside their midfield partner, opening up the potential for Willian, Saka, and Pepe to swap positions behind the striker should they all simultaneously be on the pitch.
This isn’t to say that Xhaka won’t have a role moving forward. Arteta will likely still use the holding midfielder in matches where Arsenal can expect to be penned back in their own third regularly and therefore be forced into playing long balls. Additionally, Xhaka will be a great option to have off the bench when Arteta wishes to close out a close game. Unfortunately, however, Xhaka simply doesn’t possess the qualities needed to be part of a duo that can dominate the middle of the park against most Premier League teams. And Arteta seems to hold that opinion as well. This can be gleaned from the 2-1 win against Sheffield United, when Xhaka was held out of the starting lineup for Ceballos and Elneny, and then later brought on to help protect the lead.
The signing of Thomas Partey gives Arteta the ability to craft a midfield system that is fluid and flexible. This in turn will allow the team to set up in a variety of different ways, making Arsenal unpredictable and therefore a difficult test for opponents. Able to properly cover for two top-level full-backs in Tierney and Bellerin, provide support for an impressive center-back in Gabriel and a reliable keeper in Bernd Leno, and facilitate creation and goalscoring from Aubameyang, Lacazette, Pepe, Willian, and Saka, Arsenal’s new midfield should in theory be able to complete a side for Mikel Arteta that can compete for a top four finish. Despite the next several fixtures likely being our most difficult run of the season, the acquisition of Thomas Partey inspires confidence that Arsenal now have a midfield that can not only adapt to the teams they face, but also impose their own gameplan on proceedings and allow the Gunners to control the middle of the pitch like they have in days past. Partey may end up facing a baptism by fire, but if he is as good as we’ve been told then the midfield, and the team, might just be good enough to keep us in the Champions League hunt until January and beyond.
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