Mikel Arteta's gamble backfires as Arsenal copy Atletico Madrid in Forest defeat
Mikel Arteta launched a never-seen-before Arsenal experiment in their defeat to Nottingham Forest - but it's not one that he will likely want to repeat.
Aiming to keep his side's fleeting title chances alive in the East Midlands, the Spaniard deployed orthodox midfielder Thomas Partey in defence. Essentially, the system saw the Ghanaian move into a central position when the Gunners were in possession of the ball.
Without it, he appeared to slot into the backline on the right-flank. It is a role that he had never served for Arsenal before but that does not mean that he was a complete novice.
Atletico Madrid boss Diego Simeone had deployed the Ghanaian at right-back on 11 occasions both as a starter and a substitute. It's something that appeared to work, with Partey on the winning side in all of those matches during his time in Spain.
However, Arsenal did not quite enjoy as much success. Even before the Gunners went one-nil down courtesy of Taiwo Awoniyi's strike, Partey looked like he was struggling.
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He was left at the mercy of Renan Lodi and only just managed to prod the ball away from his former teammate as he attempted to charge into space down the left. His positioning when Arsenal went forwards also left a lot to be desired.
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Moving inside meant that Bukayo Saka was left stranded out on the right with little support or overlapping run. Only when Brazilian defender Gabriel had a few stern words with Partey, was he then spotted moving further forwards to support the Hale End academy graduate.
Even when Partey was given the chance to attack, he preferred to hold the ball and play it backwards instead of manufacturing space and attempting a cross. It was baffling then to note that throughout the first-half, the Gunners continued to venture down the right - the left-flank barely being exploited before the break.
When Arteta attempted to influence the game with a few alterations - Eddie Nketiah and Kieran Tierney called upon - Partey's role remained the same.
In further evidence of his unsuitability for the role, the midfielder fired a hugely misguided pass into Ben White - the former Brighton defender practically needing a cushion on his foot to stand any chance of controlling it.
That mistake was picked off by Awoniyi but he could only fire the resultant shot into the side-netting of the Arsenal goal.
Heading into next season, Arsenal have White and Japanese international Takehiro Tomiyasu to fight for the position, whilst Jakub Kiwior alleviates the need for another right back. Partey then will hope that he is not asked to deputise once more.
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