Former Black Stars Coach Reveals why Partey plays well at Arsenal but struggles for Ghana

Former Ghana coach James Kwasi Appiah says Thomas Partey’s opposite performances for Arsenal and Ghana is as a result of how he’s used in both teams.

According to him, while the midfielder’s role is more defined at club level, he is expected to adopt an advanced role when he plays for the Black Stars.

Partey is currently playing his best football since joining Arsenal and has two goals to his name in the ongoing campaign.

The Ghanaian has been an integral part of Mikel Arteta’s side, as they sit five points clear at the top of the Premier League table.

However, his performances for Ghana, where he is the deputy captain, continue to court criticism from some fans and ex-players.

The 29-year-old wasn’t at his best during the Qatar 2022 World Cup, with the Black Stars exiting the tournament at the group stages.

Appiah, who coached Partey between 2017 and 2019, believes how the midfielder is used determines how well or poorly he plays.

“I would like to use this World Cup. If you look at Arsenal, they use him more like a defensive midfielder, always he plays in front of the defenders,” Appiah told Dan Kwaku Yeboah TV.

“But here we [Ghana] use him as an offensive midfielder who operates on the right side. That means he is enclosed in a small area with the number 10 but at Arsenal, he can move all over the place.”

Meanwhile, Ghana defender Jonathan Mensah believes Partey is currently the best defensive midfielder in the Premier League.

The Columbus Crew centre-back picked the Arsenal midfielder over Manchester United’s Casemiro and Manchester City’s Rodri.

Mensah was reacting to a post made by TV3 Sports’ Juliet Bawuah, who had asked her followers to pick who the best was among the trio.

The 32-year-old made his pick in the comments section, writing “T for Thomas [Partey]” accompanied by some emojis.

Source: pulseghana.com