“He gave the ball away a lot of times” – Arsenal star slammed after 4/10 performance for country during international break
Arsenal star Thomas Partey has been slammed for a lackluster display for Ghana during their World Cup qualifying match against Nigeria.
The 28-year-old midfielder has starred for Mikel Arteta's side in recent months with a series of eye-catching displays.
Even in their Premier League defeat to Liverpool earlier this month, the former Atletico Madrid player was among their best players.
Now, with the World Cup qualifiers back this month, he's away on international duty as Ghana play the crucial playoffs.
Thomas Partey lost possession 17 times against Nigeria, the most by a midfielder in the Jollof derby.
📸 @SamuelloGh https://t.co/iWSsYQwJff
They drew 0-0 with the Super Eagles in the first-leg on Friday, leaving the tie finely poised ahead of the return leg in Abuja on Tuesday.
Partey played for the entirety of the match but couldn't influence the proceedings in any meaningful way.
Ghanian publication Pulse.com.gh rated him 4/10 after the match, the lowest of all those who started for the Black Stars on the night.
They further wrote about the player:
“It was another lackluster performance from the Arsenal midfielder. Being the captain of the day, a lot of expectations were on Partey to propel the team from midfield. However, his was poor. He gave the ball away a lot of times and failed to create anything meaningful from midfield.”
Partey takes home £200,000-a-week at Arsenal, more than anyone in the squad, but couldn't produce a performance worthy of that amount with Ghana though.
at £200K a week.
With the departure of Pierre Aubameyang, the highest earner at Arsenal is now Thomas Partey 🇬🇭 at £200K a week. https://t.co/z8YfnO0peJ
Meanwhile, British portal Goal.com were rather liberal in their rating of him, giving Partry a 7 on 10, but did admit that he could've done more.
They wrote:
“The Arsenal man coordinated Ghana’s midfield well. But for what he has shown at club level recently, a lot more was expected from him. Looked out of steam early in the second half.”
Arsenal star Partey will be hoping for a better outing in the second leg
Luckily for Partey, the tie isn't over yet, with the second leg coming up on Tuesday in Abuja.
Ghana, who missed the 2018 World Cup in Russia, are looking to make a comeback in Qatar.
However, it won't be easy against Nigeria, who boast one of the best squads in all of Africa.
The Super Eagles have also qualified for six of the last seven editions of the tournament, including in each of the last three.
They have a lot of experience too and it will be interesting to see how Ghana perform in the decisive leg.