Talking Tactics

Is it time for Arteta to pair Rice with Partey in midfield?

5 Oct 2023

Adrian Clarke explains why Arsenal manager may pick duo together in the centre for the first time

Adrian Clarke looks at key tactical points and players who can be decisive in Matchweek 8.

Arsenal

Experimentation has been a theme of Arsenal’s season so far, so do not be surprised if Mikel Arteta opts to try something new in Sunday’s huge showdown against Manchester City.

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Last season, the Gunners manager was largely fixed on his first-choice XI, but that no longer seems the case.

In addition to changing his goalkeeper, we have already seen Eddie Nketiah, Leandro Trossard, Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus all feature as a centre-forward across the first seven matches.

Three different players have started matches at left-back, Thomas Partey has been used as an inverted right-back and on the left of midfield, several alternative combinations have been tried.

To a degree, injuries have played a part in Arteta’s decision-making.

His first-choice front four of Gabriel Martinelli, Martin Odegaard, Bukayo Saka and Jesus, for example, have featured alongside each other for only 13 minutes of the season so far.

But in general, there is a sense that Arteta is trying to keep opposition managers guessing regarding who he will select.

See: Will Arteta finally outwit Guardiola?

Nine teams have made fewer changes to their starting XI than Arsenal, who made the fewest by far in 2022/23.

Fewest changes to starting XI last two seasons

2022/23	Changes	2023/24	Changes
Arsenal	38	Crystal Palace	4
Newcastle	54	Spurs	5
Everton	56	Aston Villa	5
-	-	Arsenal	10 (=10th)

Partey time

Partey’s return from injury offers Arteta the opportunity to reconfigure his central midfield.

He could name Declan Rice and the Ghanaian as a double-pivot for the first time, and considering City scored seven goals against them last season, this will be a consideration.

Julian Alvarez’s outstanding form as a No 10, coupled with Phil Foden or Bernardo Silva’s inclination to drift inside from the right, means Arsenal will require steel and solidity at the base of their midfield.

Out of possession, Rice and Partey certainly have potential to be an exceptionally strong pairing in front of the back four, breaking up play to spring turnover attacks.

As Wolverhampton Wanderers showed last weekend, a Rodri-less Man City may be vulnerable to quick transitions.

Who to pick in attack?

After featuring in 87 consecutive Premier League matches, Saka is a major fitness concern for Sunday.

If he misses out, Arteta will need to reconfigure his forward line.

See: Arteta: Saka injury does not look good

In the absence of an obvious like-for-like replacement, we may see Jesus and Trossard operate as the wide attackers.

Should this happen, it will be a straight choice between Nketiah and Havertz as to who leads the line.

Havertz performed that role well against City in the FA Community Shield, and his height might be a factor that swings the decision his way.

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City’s stifling press has troubled Arsenal greatly in recent meetings, so we may see them attempt longer passes more than they usually do.

If they do that to bypass the press, Havertz is arguably the best option to hold the ball up for Odegaard, Jesus and Trossard to join in.

Arsenal Expected Goals and possession comparison

	2022/23	PL rank	2023/24	PL rank
Expected Goals	73.19	5th	14.81	2nd
Expected Goals Against	42.47	3rd	6.15	2nd
PPDA	10.80	6th	9.10	2nd
Possession	59.75%	4th	62.45%	3rd

While it is widely acknowledged Arsenal have not been at their fluent best so far this season, a lot of the key metrics show signs of progress.

Placing greater emphasis on taking control, they are enjoying a larger share of possession and on the ball, they have been noticeably calmer.

As a team, they are also working hard to pressurise opponents, markedly improving their PPDA (Passes per Defensive Action) stats from 2022/23.

These two factors have likely influenced better figures for Expected Goals and Expected Goals Against than they managed en route to the runners-up spot last season.

Elements of surprise

City will renew their rivalry with Arsenal as worthy favourites, but Pep Guardiola may find this match harder than usual to prepare for.

See: All the times Arteta has faced Guardiola

Arteta has filled his squad with multi-functional players who can play in different positions, and by implementing subtle changes this summer, they do have more variance to their tactical approach.

If Arsenal get it right on Sunday, Arteta could walk away with his first league win over Man City as a manager.