Manchester United icon Gary Neville has expressed his view that Arsenal should return to the fundamental strategy of deploying their key players in their preferred positions, which contributed to the team’s success in the 2022–2023 season.
Neville’s viewpoint stems from Arsenal’s recent inability to secure a victory against Fulham at the Emirates Stadium on August 26, 2023.
He highlighted an evident “element of the experiment,” pointing out that Thomas Partey is currently being utilised both as a defender and a midfielder, depending on the specific phase of the match.
“I would say that for me, looking at Arsenal, there is this element of experimentation. Thomas Partey is playing half-and-half in a game. Sometimes you need to go back to basics,” Neville said on Sky Sports.
He advised that Arsenal manager, Mikel Arteta move Partey back to midfield to form a trio with Martin Odegaard and Declan Rice.
“I’d expect next week [vs. Manchester United] that Mikel Arteta is going to end that experiment and go with a solid back four. Move Partey into midfield with Declan Rice and Martin Ødegaard.”
Thomas Partey, a Ghanaian international who was formerly a defensive midfielder, has been moved to right back in the current Arsenal lineup.
With Martin Odgaard, the team’s captain, and record-signing Declan Rice, he formed a solid midfield triangle at the beginning of the season, receiving plaudits from many.
The standard 4-3-3 has now been changed to a 3-5-2, but without any preseason practise, many have questioned if it will be successful in producing the desired outcomes.