Since making his debut in 2015, Thomas Partey has been a mainstay in Diego Simeone’s Atletico side, featuring in 103 of the last 114 league games. With rumours floating that a move to Arsenal is imminent, I looked at what makes the Ghanian international such a potentially valuable asset for Arteta’s Arsenal.
Style of play
Passing
Even after watching hours of his footage, I’m still shocked at how easily Partey can find free attackers in the final 3rd. He excelled at driving passes with pace beyond the opposition’s midfield line and could turn a lethargic, slow sequence of possession into a potentially goal-scoring attack with one swing of the boot. Although he was guilty of occasionally putting too much weight on these passes, his knack to spot these passing lanes in the first place was too good to waste in playing a more conservative role.
Over longer distances, his distribution is noticeably less effective. Although he can, for example, switch the play quite consistently, when playing longer passes into areas where the receiver wasn’t uncontested, he can struggle to meet his teammates with a high level of consistency.
With regards to his pass selection, it’s definitely on the “ambitious” side. Yes, his ability to break the lines whilst passing is valuable, but there were instances where he developed “tunnel-vision”, making a risky, progressive pass as soon as he saw it, without analysing whether simply laying the ball to a nearby player would be a better option. In that sense, his skillset is probably more tailored towards acting purely as a ball-progressor and a catalyst for attacks rather than keeping the game ticking as a “dictator”
It’s also worth noting that Partey is extremely 1-footed, so sometimes he can’t play passes into certain angles, however, he does use the outside of his foot occasionally to counteract this.
Touch and control
When it comes to the quality of his touch and control, the number 5 shows a good level of precision. Showing the use of different touches to evade pressure and beat defenders. Partey’s physical qualities come to the forefront here as, very easily he’s able to simply burst past opponents with his first touch. How he times these touches are what’s impressive, often tipping the ball past the defender just as he extends his leg for the tackle.
His ability to manipulate the ball in tight spaces is incredibly rare for somebody of his stature, using a variety of movements to make space for himself. Standing at 6"2 it’s unlikely he’d venture on Messi-Esque runs through the heart of the opposition, but his use of feints and general dribbling to retain the ball was very effective nonetheless.
He possessed a deftness in his touch that was rare for a defensive midfielder, and could make slight adjustments to the ball to open up angles to pass into, this was probably best seen when Partey was in areas around the centre of the pitch where he could swiftly shift the ball away from a defenders path and open up a passing lane into an attacker in space.
Ball-carrying
It’s hard to argue against the fact that Partey’s skill in carrying the ball is probably at a world-class level. It’s a demanding title but his blend of technical and athletic qualities make him so effective in this regard. At his best, along with his constant progressive passing, he could consistently drive his team forwards with the ball, over short and long distances.
The fact that Partey can progress play with both his passing and carrying, over a variety of ranges, gives him so much value as an asset for managers, he’s the sort of midfielder that often, can spark opportunities from nothing.
Shooting
Partey is primarily located in deeper areas so shooting technique isn’t a priority for him. Though, when he does shoot, he strikes the ball cleanly and with a great deal of power but his placement is mostly inconsistent.
Defending
Partey’s general feel for the game is impressive, he reads defensive situations with precision and can, for example, intercept passing lanes and tackle opposition with consistent results.
When he does step out to intercept the ball, his decision to do so proves rewarding more often than not. Generally speaking, aggressively cutting passes and loose balls is a skill that Partey excelled at.
Another strength in Partey’s game is his willingness to support his defenders in the box. When opposition wingers were looking for crossing opportunities, his eagerness to track back and cover the near post helped stop numerous potentially dangerous opportunities.
When guarding his back 4 as the opposition build-up, he takes up good defensive positions for the most part. However, there are instances where he can be more aware of his surroundings. On some occasions he doesn’t scan the pitch well enough and therefore fails to mark passing lanes to opposition attackers behind him, instead, allowing the game to pass him by. Although this didn’t prove costly in the time that I watched him, errors in this manner can easily lead to the team conceding.
Physicality
Partey possesses the perfect body type for a holding midfielder, tall, lean and with enough muscle to hold his own. This blend of traits means he can handle physical confrontation whilst not compromising his mobility. Though there are instances where Partey could be better at shuttling across the pitch laterally, he does a fairly good job considering his frame and his proficiency in other physical duels
He also sees great success when shielding the ball, and his wide frame and powerful legs mean he isn’t easy to shift when he puts his body in the way.
Viability
In order to build a successful midfield, it’s important to have a balanced mix of profiles. The success of Thomas Partey’s transfer (should he move) hinges on giving him a role that best suits his skillset as a player.
Tactically speaking, it’s fair to say Simeone has given Partey a role that maximises his strengths. His role in a double pivot gives him the freedom to occasionally drive with the ball, knowing his midfield partner will cover if he’s caught out of position. Furthermore, Atletico’s narrow 4–4–2 maximises the number of players found between the lines, who Partey can easily find with one of his signature line-breaking passes.
If Arteta is to maximise the effect that Partey can have on matches, he must ensure that his offensive players further up the pitch can make themselves constantly available between the lines. This way Partey can hit driven passes to them frequently. It would also be ideal for him to be playing in a double-pivot, so Arsenal could utilise his ball-carrying ability without compromising the stability of the team on defensive transitions.
If Arteta takes the “Guardiola” approach, a 4–3–3 with 2 advanced #8’s, I fear he’d be wasting Partey’s ball carrying if he plays him as the lone #6. Though his skillset is broad enough that even if he’s limited to this role, you can be sure he’d still be able to bring a positive impact to the team.
Though, Arteta has shown he’s willing to be versatile in terms of tactical setup’s and will likely chop and change the lineup to ensure Partey and co are given a role that allows them to perform to a high standard, without forfeiting the defensive integrity of the side.
Conclusion
Honestly, it’s not often you see a midfielder with such a unique blend of physical and technical quality go for as cheap as the £43M Partey is being quoted for, and compared to most of the midfield purchases Arsenal have made in recent years, Partey would definitely be the best of the bunch.
That’s not to say he’s flawless though. He’s prone to rushing play and being a bit too ambitious in his pass selection. Because of this, he needs to play in a team with the offensive freedom to allow attackers to find pockets of space in the opposition structure, but this issue can easily be hidden in the right system.
If anything, the leap from a drastically different football culture is the issue a potential suitor should fear, Simeone plays a particularly “unique” brand of football, and many have failed to replicate the output they achieved at Atletico, elsewhere (or vice versa).
Even so, these issue’s are minor in comparison to the potential upside a transfer like this could bring to the club, and I firmly believe that Partey, at the peak of his powers, could be the catalyst for change at Arteta’s new and exciting Arsenal side.
Source: medium.com/T3stuff