Thomas Partey had a fantastic career under Simeone at his former club Atletico and was an integral part of the Spanish side’s system. So much so, he convinced Arsenal to pay up £45 million to bring him to the Emirates in the summer. He now is slowly becoming an integral part of Arteta’s system; a very different manager entirely.

Partey has recently made this difference very clear. Whilst admitting he plays in a “similar position”, he noted that the demands from Simeone are very different from the demands of his new gaffer, Arteta. 

Under Arteta, Partey said “you don’t have to be in the same line and opposite the defender.” and that “you have time to be able to do whatever you want and this is amazing.”

It is clear that Partey is trying to elude to a more free role under Arteta, where he does not have to just sit in front of the defence and can roam around the pitch a bit more to help play through the lines.

“We always do a high press, from the first minute to the last minute, and in Atletico sometimes you had to wait for the opposition to move around you and you hit them on the counter.”

This is really good to hear. He is starting to show me that he has a lot more to his game than putting a strong tackle in. As we start to build our midfield around him, he will become a highly influential player for us both defensively and going forward.

Interestingly, Partey noted that the managers are also similar and it is one common trait any manager would like to have. He said “I think both of them have the same mentality, which is winning. Both of them want to be in control, you always have the chance to create in behind and the difference is we don’t give chances, we press high.”

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons

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