Granit Xhaka and Thomas Partey: the best midfield duo in the Premier League?



Granit Xhaka and Thomas Partey: the best midfield duo in the Premier League?


By Oliver Gafsen
In a season that has swivelled from crisis mode to Champions League return, Arteta’s ‘new Arsenal’ have the midfield duo of Thomas Partey and Granit Xhaka to thank.
It’s no coincidence the Gunners success since December has been matched by the pair's consistent starts, having won 12, lost three and drawn none when Partey and Xhaka line up.
Their reversal of fortunes has been astonishing from a summer when Partey and Xhaka epitomised problems to solve; big signings ill-suited for the Premier League and old guard too expensive for the door.
But what has transformed the midfielders into one of the best engine rooms in the Premier League?

A Brave New Role

In December Arteta adopted a bold system, pushing Xhaka further up the park as a No.8 while Partey dropped in behind at No.6 at the base of a triangle with Martin Ødegaard.
The result was stark, as an Arsenal side struggling to find the net with a -4 goal difference scored 20 in a month, putting four past Leeds and five past Norwich.
While the Gunners are still in need of a striker, allowing Partey more space and using Xhaka as a fifth attacking lane has given Arsenal an evolved sense of balance and control.
It’s a system able to work because of defenders who can play out from the back, not to mention the Gunners’ dynamic young midfielders, but Partey and Xhaka have flourished in their new roles at the core of a lethal press.

No Thomas, no Partey

The Ghanaian struggled to settle into life in London, completing 90 minutes just 10 times in a first season marred by injuries, giving his own performance a 4/10 following his transfer from Atletico Madrid.
Fans were frustrated by only four of thirty shots outside the box on target, but fitness and dedication saw Partey awarded Arsenal player of the month in February, with set piece goals against Leicester and Villa proving his aerial threat.
The 28-year-old has the third best dribbling in Europe behind Frenkie de Jong and Marco Verratti, receiving the ball on the half turn and beating the press with laser guided cross-field passes.

Wenger’s Man

Xhaka's history at Arsenal will only be remembered as chequered, stripped of his captaincy following debacles with fans, frustrating with contrasting performances for club and country and costing points with inexplicable red card offences.
Last season he was deployed to drop deep for Kieran Tierney, but the 28-year-old has flourished as the box-to-box midfielder Arsene Wenger intended, winning the ball high up the pitch and managing games.
The Swiss international has signed a contract until 2024 with an optional years extension, and although he has been attracting interest from Mourinho's Roma, Arsenal could do worse than spending their transfer kitty elsewhere.
Photo Credit: Getty Images

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