They have now gone four games without a win and have seen City leapfrog them into first place following Wednesday night’s game. Losing to Villa, now led by ex-Arsenal manager Unai Emery
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has admitted he doesn’t know the full extent of Thomas Partey’s injury, which kept him out of Wednesday night’s crucial title match against Manchester City.
The Gunners were eventually outclassed by the experience of Pep Guardiola’s men, who would have no doubt been overjoyed to learn of Partey’s absence when the game was billed as the biggest game of the Emirates era. The Ghanaian had little choice but to sit back and watch his teammates suffer in their 3-1 home loss to the reigning champions.
Much of the talk leading up to the game was about Partey and whether or not he’d play. Shortly after the news of his injury broke, footage of Partey arriving at the team hotel in his usual pre-match tracksuit surfaced online, implying he’d be in the starting lineup.
However, the former Atletico Madrid man was the most notable omission from the team sheet, with January signing Jorginho starting in his place.
The ex-Chelsea ace impressed for the most part, but Partey’s absence was unmistakable as the Gunners struggled to break lines with the regularity that they have in most games this season.
Before kick-off, Arteta told Amazon Prime exactly what it was that was causing Partey problems, claiming: “It’s what happens in football. Players sustain injuries.
“Unfortunately, Thomas felt something in his back muscle today and was unable to play.”
Following the final whistle, Arteta faced additional questions about Partey’s fitness, as there were growing concerns that his time on the sidelines would cause him to miss more than just the City game.
Asked how Partey was and whether his absence played a part in the defeat for his side, Arteta replied: “We don’t know. It happens; it’s a part of football. Jorgi played well, and we’ll have to assess Tommy’s performance to see how bad it is.”
The Gunners manager also admitted that he didn’t realise the extent of Partey’s injury until “very, very late,” potentially jeopardising Arteta’s pre-match plans and preparations.
It’s unclear whether Partey will be ready for Arsenal’s trip to Aston Villa on Saturday, but with or without him, the Gunners desperately need to stop their slide.
They have now gone four games without a win and have seen City leapfrog them into first place following Wednesday night’s game. Losing to Villa, now led by ex-Arsenal manager Unai Emery, would be a devastating blow to Arteta’s title hopes.