Arsenal have a big job on their hands in the Champions League next week after losing 1-0 to Paris Saint-Germain at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday night.
Arsenal conceded after just four minutes as Ousmane Dembele expertly curled home from inside the box after being set up by Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.
The Gunners pushed for an equaliser but a combination of a well-drilled PSG outfit and the in-form Gianluigi Donnarumma was enough to thwart the Gunners.
Alan Shearer has now named the Arsenal player Mikel Arteta needs to start in the second leg at the Parc des Princes, saying he would make a “huge difference”.
Alan Shearer says Thomas Partey will make a ‘huge difference’ for Arsenal at PSG
Arsenal were without Thomas Partey for the first leg as he was suspended, and his absence was felt by the Gunners.
Partey picked up a third yellow card of the campaign against Real Madrid last time out, so he had to miss the following game.
Shearer was asked by Gary Lineker on The Rest is Football what Arsenal needed to do to put things right in the second leg.
“Well, they’ll have Thomas Partey back, that’ll be a huge difference,” said Shearer, to which Lineker replied: “That’s a good point”.
Shearer continued: If Partey is playing last (Tuesday) night, I don’t think Dembele gets that space that he’s got for that goal. I think Partey would have been in that position.
“They were – with it being so early on, they were in two minds, where the centre-half goes right in there with him tight, and they just didn’t get the press right.
“PSG, with their quality, they beat the press with ease, and it was brilliant the way they did it.
“I really don’t think that happens if Partey is playing, and that will be a huge difference next week.”
The knock-on effect that will benefit Arsenal if Thomas Partey starts
It’s clear that Partey needs to be back in the Arsenal starting XI for the trip to PSG now that he has served his suspension.
Alongside the boost of having the £45million man available, there’s also another positive knock-on effect, namely Declan Rice moving back to No. 8.
Rice simply wasn’t able to play to his strengths against PSG on Tuesday night due to the suspension-enforced situation the club had to deal with.
There was a lot of shuffling that needed take place due to Partey’s absence and ultimately it cost the team, so it’ll be good to see the strongest XI available.
For instance, Leandro Trossard starting up front for Arsenal wasn’t the best decision, with Mikel Merino likely a better option as the centre-forward.
It could also be argued that Arsenal should have started Ben White at right-back, moved Jurrien Timber to left-back and let Myles Lewis-Skelly play in midfield.
