Arsenal are down to the bare bones in defence after the injury scares suffered by Jurrien Timber and Gabriel Magalhaes against Liverpool on Sunday.
Though the extent of their injuries is unknown at this stage, they both face the prospect of joining fellow defenders Takehiro Tomiyasu, Kieran Tierney and Riccardo Calafiori for a spell in the treatment room.
William Saliba, Ben White, Jakub Kiwior and Oleksandr Zinchenko are the Gunners’ only remaining senior defenders heading into Wednesday’s Carabao Cup trip to Preston North End and this weekend’s game at Newcastle United.
With that in mind, the value of Thomas Partey’s ability to fill in at right-back cannot be understated. A midfielder by trade, the Ghanaian’s versatility was put to the test in the 2-2 draw with Liverpool, and he came through with flying colours.
Assigned a daunting one-on-one battle with Reds trickster Luis Diaz, Partey was tough into the tackle and composed on the ball. Slotting in on the right side of defence allowed Ben White to shift across to centre-back and cover for Saliba, who was suspended for Sunday’s game.
White may be forced to continue in the central position if Gabriel and Timber do not recover in time for this week’s fixtures. Another option is Kiwior starting alongside Saliba with White reverting to what is now a more familiar role at right-back.
But an absolute godsend for Arteta is Partey’s competence in the full-back role, which gives him options at a time when he is otherwise restricted. The Gunners boss has made a habit out of recruiting stars who can play in multiple positions – an approach which comes into its own when a squad falls on hard times.
Arsenal have lost ground on Manchester City and Liverpool since the international break, with a defeat at Bournemouth earlier this month proving costly. Arteta has four points to make up on the Reds and five points to the reigning champions, who are the only unbeaten team left in England’s top flight.
With four more matches in quick succession before the next international break, Arteta has stressed the need for his players to adapt and find a way to win. “It is what it is,” he said in his post-match press conference.
“We had five injuries in the back line, we have to adapt to it. We’ll continue to adapt. It’s a situation that we have, we’ll support the players and praise them because the courage they played with was unbelievable.”
