Manchester United legend, Gary Neville, has suggested that Arsenal should get back to basics and place their star players in their preferred roles that brought success to the team during the 2022/2023 season.
Neville’s statement comes in response to Arsenal’s failure to defeat Fulham at the Emirates on Saturday, August 26, 2023. He identified an “element of experimentation,” stating that Thomas Partey is currently playing as both a defender and midfielder depending on the phase of the game.
“I would say looking at Arsenal, there is this element of experimentation. Thomas Partey is half and half in a game. Sometimes, you need to get back to basics,” Neville said on Sky Sports.
He advised Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta to move Partey back to the midfield, forming a trio with Martin Odegaard and Declan Rice: “I would expect next week [against Man Utd], Mikel Arteta will bring an end to this experiment and go with a solid back four. Move Partey into midfield with Declan Rice and Martin Ødegaard.”
In Arsenal’s current setup, Ghanaian international Thomas Partey, who is originally a defensive midfielder, has been relegated to the right-back position. He started the season forming a midfield trio with captain Martin Odgaard and record signing Declan Rice. However, without prior preseason training, the usual 4-3-3 formation has now been converted to a 3-5-2, which has led many to question whether this new tactical scheme will yield the desired results.
