Arsenal’s chances of clinching a historic Premier League title appear to be dead and buried after an embarrassing outing against the defending champions Manchester City on Wednesday evening.
Mikel Arteta’s side were completely dominated by his former outfit, with a quarter of goals coming from Kevin De Bruyne, John Stones and Erling Haaland.
Rob Holding, who has largely been public enemy number one in recent weeks, managed to grab a mere consolation goal but it was a feeble attempt at proving themselves worthy of being title contenders.
However, the trophy will not be won or lost from this performance alone as the Citizens still have to win their games in hand and not slip up over the remainder of the month, though that does seem rather unlikely given the ruthless form they find themselves in.
What's happened to Thomas Partey?
The Spaniard must now ring the changes to his regular starting XI, with the confidence knocked out of many usual starters, including Thomas Partey, who has looked a shadow of himself in recent outings, especially at the Etihad Stadium.
Not only was the Ghana midfielder booked for lashing out at Jack Grealish following a coming together in the 75th minute but he was a mere passenger throughout the game, struggling to cope with the quality of the mercurial Belgian and others.
Regularly ‘ghosted and outmuscled’ in the engine room, one moment of weakness could have seen Haaland notch more than his one goal, whilst as per Sofascore, Partey committed three fouls, lost possession six times and was dribbled past on one occasion.
Such a performance saw Gunners legend Lee Dixon suggest that the 29-year-old “had lost the plot,” which is a worrying sign heading into some crucial matches against the likes of Chelsea and two Europe-chasing sides in Newcastle United and Brighton & Hove Albion.
Who should replace Partey in Arsenal's starting XI?
Arteta has a proven trophy-winner and leader within his ranks in Jorginho, who was signed as a surprise addition during the January transfer window. Yet, restricted to only four starts from nine appearances in the top-flight, the north Londoners haven’t really benefited from his influence on the pitch.
He would allow the £45m livewire to come out of the firing line and would perhaps inject some fresh impetus into an underperforming area heading into some imperative outings.
With Champions League and Europa League medals to his name, the Brazil-born Italy international knows what it takes to get a team over the line.
And having been compared to players like Xabi Alonso and Sergio Busquets, his ability to dictate play from deep and still be resolute defensively could create some stability in front of the Gunners’ leaking backline and at the same time, push Granit Xhaka and Martin Odegaard further forward.
As such, in a bid to revive Arsenal’s title hopes, Arteta must look to ruthlessly ditch Partey for Jorginho in his starting XI going forward.