Arsenal make smart call on Thomas Partey fitness

There wasn’t much to be disheartened by as Arsenal secured the three points against Watford just prior to the international break. That is, other than the absence of Thomas Partey.

In starting against Leicester in the 2-0 win he broke a personal record since joining the club: it was the first time he had started six consecutive Premier League matches for the club. Evidently, seven was pushing it.

Left out of the squad against Watford with a tight groin, Ainsley Maitland-Niles came into the team in his stead and did a solid job of bringing some bite and energy to the middle of the park. The 24-year-old was among the Gunners’ better performers and while Partey was missed, as he always is, he wasn’t sorely missed against a poor visiting side.

His endless string of setbacks were destined reemerge. He’d only(!) suffered one injury so far this season and his luck rarely extends this long.

Arsenal make smart call on Thomas Partey fitness with midfielder not linking up with Ghana squad yet for World Cup qualifying matches

With Arsenal not featuring until they make the daunting trip to Anfield on November 20, the race is on for the midfielder to return for a fixture that his presence will be desperately yearned for.

As per Charles Watts, Arsenal are in dialogue with Ghana and have made the smart call to keep the 28-year-old at London Colney as they monitor his progress. Neither side want to aggravate the issue, for obvious reasons.

He looks set to miss out on the Black Stars’ World Cup qualifier with Ethiopia on Thursday, with a decision to be made later on in the week whether or not he can fly out to meet the rest of the squad as they take on South Africa on Sunday.

While supporters will be hoping for the Ghanaian to miss out on both qualifiers, if he is to link up with the national team for the Cape Coast Sports Stadium clash it would actually be reassuring as it would indicate the issue is only minor.

What do Arsenal need at Anfield? Apart from an uncharacteristically off day from Mohamed Salah, they will need their key midfielder. Partey’s presence in the centre of the park is essential as Mikel Arteta’s side will have to find ways to handle the Reds’ trio of Jordan Henderson, Fabinho and Thiago.

It’s a formidable Premier League midfield and as impressive as Sambi Lokonga has been and as comfortable as Maitland-Niles has looked in his cameos, that’s a task you wouldn’t want to bestow upon them.