3 reasons why Thomas Partey struggled against Southampton

2.  Xhaka’s absence was massive

In his three seasons at Arsenal, Partey has played his best football when Granit Xhaka has been in the team and, at times, they have carried each other.

When times get tough, Xhaka’s positional understanding helps Arsenal manage the pressure, as he can drop deep into a double pivot when defending, or cover at left back when Zinchenko bounces around the pitch.

With Fabio Vieira, Arsenal lacked that intelligence. It is no coincidence that the last time that change occurred (Bournemouth at home) Partey had an equally poor first half, and was guilty of not tracking his man for both of their goals.

On Friday, it wasn’t about tracking, but having a reliable teammate to show for the ball when he had the ball and get stuck in at the times his team needed it, and Partey suffered as a result.

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