Gary Neville and David Seaman agree on major change Arteta must make vs Man Utd
Arsenal icon David Seaman has questioned Mikel Arteta's decision to utilise Thomas Partey as an inverted fullback during the opening weeks of the 2023/24 campaign
Arsenal legend David Seaman has admitted that he doesn't understand Mikel Arteta's decision to use Thomas Partey at right-back in recent weeks.
The Gunners boss has opted to change the dynamic of his defence during the first three games of the Premier League campaign, with Gabriel Magalhaes dropped to the bench. This means William Saliba and Ben White have both shifted across slightly to the left whilst holding midfielder Partey has been deployed as an inverted fullback.
"For me, he’s (Partey) a better player in midfield. I don’t know what’s happened with Gabriel because he played nearly all the games last season when he was fit or when he hadn’t been sent off and now he’s changing it.
"It is a strange one and I’m still trying to work out why.” Manchester United hero Gary Neville echoed Seaman's sentiment last weekend when discussing the north Londoners' start to the 2023/24 season.
The Sky Sports pundit admitted that he expects Arteta's experiment to end on Sunday afternoon when Arsenal host United to the Emirates Stadium. "I would say that for me, looking at Arsenal, there is this element of experimentation," Neville said on his podcast.
"Thomas Partey is playing half-and-half in a game. Sometimes you need to go back to basics."
He added: "I’d expect next week (vs United) Mikel Arteta is going to end that experiment and go with a solid back four. Move Partey into midfield with Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard."
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