Former Spurs player embarrassed Thomas Partey after Arsenal win vs Girona – Mikel Arteta can’t ignore it

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Arsenal were taught a harsh lesson by former Tottenham forward Arnaut Danjuma in the Champions League.

The Gunners progressed to the round of 16 after beating Girona 2-1 away from home to round off a strong league phase.

In the final game of the opening round of the Champions League, Arsenal made it difficult for themselves, as Mikel Arteta watched his side gift Girona the opening goal.

Arnaut Danjuma took advantage of Arsenal debutant Neto’s bizarre positioning and scored to see the Gunners concede their first goal from open play in the Champions League this season.

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Arnaut Danjuma highlights Arsenal frailty after Girona victory

Fortunately, a Joringho penalty and a record-breaking goal from Ethan Nwaneri ensured that Arsenal got the win however, Neto’s blushes weren’t spared.

The debutant replaced David Raya, who was not fit to play against Girona, to start between the sticks, having a debut to remember for the wrong reasons. 

Ironically, the aftermath of the game revealed that it wasn’t Neto who was embarrassed by Girona, but Thomas Partey.

Speaking to CBS Sports after the fixture, Danjuma explained that the Spanish side had studied Partey’s frailties at right-back, which opened up the chance for the Dutchman to score.

“We’ve been revising the goal that I scored today because we knew that Thomas Partey normally is a midfielder so there would be a lot of space in his back,” the ex-Spurs loanee admitted.

“I think I utilised that pretty well, I got a phenomenal pass from the centre-back so it’s funny that we trained on it and it worked out really well.”

It was ‘funny’ for the Girona forward but humiliating for both the Ghanaian and Arteta, with Partey’s poor record at right-back haunting the Gunners once again.

Mikel Arteta must stop playing Partey at right-back 

Arteta is not finding any success playing Partey at right-back, a trial that must come to an end after the embarrassment Danjuma’s revelation served up.

The midfielder, who has played his entire career in midfield, is a viable option to fill in on the right side of defence but as a starter, Arteta must learn from his mistakes. 

Partey’s profile will see him get caught out again and again as a full-back, which was evident this season against Girona, Brighton, Fulham and Aston Villa, to name a few.

Danjuma had the last laugh as his ploy to expose Partey worked in his favour but fortunately, the Gunners walked away with a win and the knowledge to not make the same mistake again.