Arsenal: 3 lessons learned from Brighton Premier League draw

3. There’s an Overreliance on Thomas Partey

It is quite simple really: when Partey plays well, Arsenal plays well. When he doesn’t, the Gunners struggle. This was the case against Brighton.

Normally always available for a pass coming out of defense, Partey looked a shell of his usual dominant self and looked shaky confidence-wise. In the face of Brighton’s high-intensity pressing, Partey simply couldn’t get a foothold in the game as he usually does and thread those delightful passes into Arsenal’s frontmen.

Arteta needs to find an alternative to Partey when he is not influencing games. His partner in Albert Sambi Lokonga is still a work in progress and has shown potential but it feels like there needs to be a more stable partner for Partey.

Whispering it quietly…..Xhaka.

Despite riding the wave of a four-game win streak, every Arsenal fan knows the team is a work in progress and there are going to be games like against Brighton as the consistency for the team will ebb and flow throughout the season.

There have been superb performances of late, but the scoreless draw to Brighton still shows there is plenty of work to be done but at least there are signs that the team, under Arteta is on the right track.