Arsenal: 4 reasons behind worrying Thomas Partey form

Thomas Partey the Arsenal powerhouse. Thomas Partey the Rolls Royce midfielder. Thomas Partey the key to a successful season. Thomas Partey the….out of form man?

Beating Newcastle in the way Arsenal did was a case of getting the job done in an effective and professional manner.

The Magpies set up with the aim of frustrating Mikel Arteta’s side by having 11 men behind the ball at all times and compressing central areas. It was all about limiting the spaces in key zones and relying on winning the individual duels.

Arsenal eventually broke the visitors’ resistance with two delightful goals. Bukayo Saka’s well taken strike came after a neat move on the left side involving Emile Smith Rowe and Nuno Tavares, while Gabriel Martinelli’s was an incredibly composed finish having got on the end of Takehiro Tomiyasu’s neatly cushioned pass.

Arsenal: 4 reasons to try and explain the worrying form Thomas Partey has shown in the Premier League this season as Manchester United clash awaits

Job done.

But where were the senior players in all of this? Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang came under criticism for his lack of potency, just as Partey found himself under the microscope for the second match running after an uneventful outing against Liverpool.

It’s prompted wider concerns of his form heading into a crucial period of the season, as well as a vital away trip to Old Trafford on Thursday. This team wants 8/10 Partey performances every game and, for the most part, they aren’t getting them. He isn’t firing on all cylinders.

Is there basis behind this patch of form, is too much being asked of him, or are there other possible reasons that could explain why there is some growing concern surrounding the £45m acquisition?

Let’s take a look.

1. There is Too Much Expectation Around Thomas Partey

The bulk of the criticism of Partey is that Arsenal aren’t getting enough from him as an overall package. As much as price tags have to be eliminated from the discussion, the £45m deadline day signing is always going to be seen as the pedestal from where Partey will be judged.

Add to that the resignation in making the purchase that any resale value would never come close to matching that figure and the situation is blown up further.

So what does everyone expect from him? Is he meant to be dominating matches from start to finish and owning the pitch as he had done in that famous Old Trafford win last season? Knowing those are the heights he can hit, perhaps it is.

Over the course of his career, Partey has suffered from inconsistency. As brilliant as he was with Atletico Madrid, he wasn’t always a certified starter and dips in form occurred.

Yet seeing how much of a cut above he was when he first came into the team (the Rapid Vienna Europa League game was him oozing class) can have played a part in clouding the judgement. Maybe because the yearning is so potent for him to be the talisman midfielder, the expectations placed upon him therefore are less likely to be met.

When our spoiled palates aren’t satisfied, maybe some of the better elements of his game can be unwillingly glossed over.

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