Can Thomas Partey and Albert Sambi Lokonga excel as a midfield partnership?
Can Thomas Partey and Albert Sambi Lokonga excel as Arsenal's midfield partnership?
Saturday’s 0-0
draw against Brighton brought Arsenal slightly back down to earth after the
high of a 3-1 derby demolition of Tottenham the previous weekend.
The
Seagulls
have started the season superbly and were never going
to be pushovers for the Gunners, who were duly
forced to work hard for a point.
Now reaching the second international break of the season, Mikel Arteta
has a couple of weeks to reflect on what has been a positive run of league
matches.
Though
the performance against Brighton was not sparkling, it was certainly solid and among those who impressed were Thomas Partey and
Albert Sambi Lokonga.
Partey
and Lokonga anchored the centre of midfield together and this is a partnership
that could be employed for a while.
With
Granit Xhaka facing a potentially lengthy layoff, the duo that started
against Albion on Saturday may be paired together for the next few months.
The big
question is whether they will be successful or not?
Can they both cover for Xhaka?
Though
his presence in the side is sometimes divisive, stats suggest that Xhaka’s
absence could leave a slight hole in the team that the duo will need to cover.
In
all honesty, there is no reason why they shouldn’t be capable of doing just that.
Since
joining this summer, Lokonga has already impressed when he’s had the
opportunity to get on the pitch and was one of those praised by Arteta after this
weekend’s match.
The
21-year-old was praised by his manager for both
his character and positioning, as well as his
improving defensive skills and overall understanding of the game.
Lokonga
is still learning his trade and
it will certainly take him a bit longer to properly get settled at the club and
in the starting XI.
However,
the early signs are encouraging and things are also looking positive from
Partey’s perspective as well.
Partey starting to look like the real deal
It
is a year to the day since Arsenal signed the Ghanaian from Atletico Madrid,
and his first season at the club wasn’t perfect.
He failed to
consistently break into the first XI, largely due to injury issues and
struggled for consistency when he did.
However, he
now has an opportunity to cement his place in the spine of the team.
The 28
year-old looked composed throughout on Saturday and has looked solid whenever
he’s been on the pitch as he slowly looks to repay his £45m price tag.
Not
only is he improving, he also brings greater experience to the midfield.
A
Europa League and Super Cup winner at Atletico, the 28-year-old will have a
greater understanding
of game management and key moments within the 90 minutes.
That
is something that could prove invaluable to Lokonga, as he looks to build his experience
and continue to grow as a Premier League player.
Perhaps
annoyingly for Arteta and the club, the international break could stall any momentum within Lokonga and Partey’s partnership.
Once
the break is over Arsenal will return to league action against Crystal Palace
and Aston Villa- two teams that have started well this year- before an EFL Cup
match against Leeds.
Those
three matches will certainly provide an indicator into how successful the
Lokonga-Partey midfield partnership can be, and
what impact they could have this season.
