Arsenal no longer need to fear Thomas Partey’s absence – Declan Rice is here

Pessimism had started to envelop the Arsenal fanbase heading into their February encounter with title rivals Manchester City at the Emirates.

While the Gunners were in the lead at the summit and City had been beaten in N17 just ten days prior, Arsenal had been defeated at Everton and dropped points at home to Brentford in the build-up to the duel. Nevertheless, the vulnerabilities City had shown throughout 2022/23 (before they got, like, really good) meant that a healthy dose of optimism remained that Mikel Arteta’s side could earn their first-ever victory over Pep Guardiola’s side in the Premier League.

That was until news filtered through of Thomas Partey’s absence in the hours leading up to kick-off.

In one fell swoop – or refresh of the Twitter/X timeline – any optimism was dashed, and to the surprise of few, a 3-1 defeat ensued.

Arsenal supporters had gotten used to the unavailability of their dominant Ghanaian midfielder, but Arteta’s men had struggled to mitigate Partey’s absence. At the of writing, the 30-year-old has missed 29 Premier League games since joining the club and the Gunners have won just 13 of these games, also losing 13. Before Arteta thrust him into a hybrid full-back/midfield role, Partey was an all-encompassing holding midfielder who excelled in all phases; he’s athletic, progressive in possession, and a distinct physical presence when competing for second balls. He’s brilliant, but injury issues have compromised his time in north London.

Without him, Arsenal’s chances of winning that night against City were greatly reduced and such devastation manifested through the medium of supporter outcry.

Now, though, Partey’s fitness no longer needs to determine the moods of Gooners. That crippling anxiety you once felt once news filtered through of another injury setback should cease to exist. Why? Two words: Declan Rice.

Arsenal no longer need to fear Thomas Partey’s absence – Declan Rice is here

Partey’s availability woes undoubtedly played a factor in Arsenal’s midfield rejuvenation this summer, but perhaps a more significant variable was/is the club’s determination to topple City at the Premier League summit.

The Cityzens joined the race for Rice late, but the former West Ham skipper seemed destined for north London once Arteta got through to him. A mammoth £105m deal was struck which immediately ramped up the pressure on Rice to settle swiftly, but the midfielder’s character (and talent) meant very few had concerns. Top player, a tremendous pro, and an even better bloke.

Arsenal’s new #41 has the potential to be a midfield stalwart for years. After his career in east London culminated in Europa Conference League glory, Rice now aims to win the biggest trophies with the Gunners as they celebrate their return to the Champions League.

Admittedly, his start in pre-season was relatively subdued and I, for one, thought he looked pretty awkward in a more advanced midfield role. However, since the start of the Premier League season, Rice has been utilised in a position more familiar to him, and on Sunday we saw him deployed in a role we suspect he’ll grow to adore alongside Oleksandr Zinchenko when Arsenal have the ball.

Sure, there’s been the odd foray into the final third, but that’s not yet his game. For now, Rice excels in the second phase when controlling and circulating possession, and he continues to dominate defensively. His work in the build-up is ever-improving, meanwhile, and he’s maturing from a stellar box-to-box into an outright controller at the base.

His impressive start at his new home was topped off with a strike against Man Utd which sent the Emirates into a frenzy, but it was his emphatic tackle on Bruno Fernandes in the first half that tickled the salivary glands of purists and traditionalists watching on. That’s what Rice is: a tone-setter.

Rice’s presence means Arsenal no longer miss Partey’s physicality and duel-winning capacity when he’s not around. While the former perhaps isn’t as elegant as the Ghanaian with the ball, he’s now considerably more athletic and equally metronomic. In short, the Englishman is simply a better player than the 30-year-old at the current stages of their careers. And that’s no slight on Partey, Rice is simply elite.

Arteta would undoubtedly prefer to have Partey available, but his absence arguably increases the Gunners’ ceiling this season with Rice being thrust into the holding midfield role – one that currently suits his profile better than the more advanced #8 function Granit Xhaka excelled in last season.

For the boss, the issue remains that Xhaka-shaped hole with Kai Havertz struggling to contribute and other options perhaps not yet fully trusted. Nevertheless, this Arsenal midfield has the potential to usurp the apex of the Partey/Xhaka/Martin Odegaard triumvirate of 2022/23. Only time will tell whether that potential is realised.

The Gunners are expected to be without Partey for six weeks – until after the October international break – but in their new £105m man, Arsenal supporters are now blessed with an anxiety-taming midfield superstar capable of taking the club to the next level.