Renowned scout and analyst, Scott Geelan has suggested that Thomas Partey should be used in the lone defensive midfielder role at the Black Stars.
Geelan believes the reason behind Partey's struggles at Black Stars, unlike Arsenal, is that the midfielder is mostly tasked to do offensive duties while paired with the defensive midfielders who are not apt in the role.
He said due to the role, Ghanaians expect Partey to be involved in goals, but it is not one of his specialties.
"Many saying: “Partey doesn’t play as a 6 for ????????, plays as an 8 so we want G&A”.
"Think people are ignoring that, whilst TP has generally played alongside 6s for Ghana, those 6s aren’t progressive/penetrative so TP does that job in the attack. He’s not getting close to the goal much," he tweeted in reaction to a tweet by Owuraku Ampofo who that stated Partey's hype in the Premier League is not due to goals and assists, hence, Ghanaians should not expect such from him during the 2023 AFCON qualifiers.
Geelan continued by advising that the ideal formation for Ghana's game against Angola should have Partey at the base with Kudus Mohammed in the central midfield role to take up the offensive duties.
"Is why I’ve advocated for using Kudus as an 8 in *some* games with TP as the 6 - such as this home game against Angola. More than likely, Salis or Addo will be a little wasted in that game & take a player out of attack requiring TP to drop & build.
Instead, let TP play as the 6 & get a number of players ahead of him who can score & create. Take out the 6s whose progressive contributions are low. Against *some* opponents."
Thomas Partey was slammed by Ghanaians as one of the flops at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
However, the player has been hailed week in, and week out at Arsenal for his consistent performance, which has made some Ghanaians question his commitment to the national team.
Nonetheless, he is a key component of the Black Stars and was named in Chris Hughton's 25-man squad for the doubleheader against Angola in the upcoming international break.
Many saying: “Partey doesn’t play as a 6 for ????????, plays as an 8 so we want G&A”.
— Scott Geelan (@Scott_Geelan) March 13, 2023
Think people are ignoring that, whilst TP has generally played alongside 6s for Ghana, those 6s aren’t progressive/penetrative so TP does that job in attack. He’s not getting close to the goal much. https://t.co/3sOlgUbNqH
When TP has contributed goals/assists for Ghana, it’s often been when he was released from that progressive role by the team using guys like Ebenezer Ofori, Mubarak Wakakso, Alfred Duncan (sparingly) as the progressor. That’s NOT Salis or Baba.
— Scott Geelan (@Scott_Geelan) March 13, 2023
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