Arsenal: 4 talking points from 2-2 Crystal Palace draw

2. Thomas Partey Needs a Genuine Central Midfielder Next to Him

When the team sheets came out it looked as if Arsenal were going with a 4-3-3, and in the opening exchanges with Partey as the sole anchor and Odegaard dropping deeper to effectively form a double pivot, it seemed to work well: Arsenal started on the front foot and got a deserved goal. However, once Palace got a foothold in the game, it was glaringly obvious that a change needed to be made.

Too often the midfield of Palace which included James McArthur, Conor Gallagher, and Luke Milivojevic played through the Gunners with ease, which then left the Arsenal rearguard exposed several times. The spaces either side of Partey were vast.

While fans dislike Granit Xhaka when he is in the side, you can feel and see his absence when he is out of it. It makes Arteta’s decision not to bring in another quality central midfielder in the summer window even more baffling. Or, to play one of the other ones he has.

Albert Sambi Lokonga was brought on at half-time, which was a disaster, to be honest. Both are essentially the same player, and the tandem did not work at all. Something has to be done, whether it is finding another player to partner Partey or a switch in formation as tonight, the midfield was dreadfully exposed by a lesser Palace unit.

Partey doesn’t get off free either, he was awfully wasteful.

Continued…