Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey has urged his teammates to keep calm heads in the upcoming games after their loss to Bournemouth on Saturday.
The Gunners dropped points for just the third time this season. This proved crucial as Arsenal fall four points behind leaders Liverpool ahead of their game this weekend.
Arsenal had just one shot on target in the game against Bournemouth. They had zero shots on goal before William Saliba’s red card in the 30th minute of the game.
Thomas Partey tells teammates to keep calm heads
William Saliba’s sending off was the third time Arsenal have been down to 10 men in the Premier League this season. The other two times being Declan Rice’s sending off against Brighton, and Leandro Trossard being given his marching orders away to Manchester City.
Thomas Partey said after the game that Arsenal players have to be cautious in upcoming games to prevent getting more red cards this season:
“We have to learn from our mistakes and not let them happen again. We are working hard, we are trying to win our duels and sometimes these things happen. We have to stick together because red cards can happen in games and we must learn from every mistake.
“Every time we have 11 players one the pitch, we always dominate the game.”
The Ghanaian midfielder was right, this season Arsenal have won every game in the Premier League apart from the three where they had a man sent off.
Bournemouth v Arsenal Premier League 19/10/2024. Dango Ouattara 11 of AFC Bournemouth battles for possession with Thomas Partey 5 of Arsenal during the Premier League match between Bournemouth and Arsenal at the Vitality Stadium, Bournemouth, England on 19 October 2024. Bournemouth Vitality Stadium Dorset England Editorial use only DataCo restrictions apply See www.football-dataco.com , Copyright: xGrahamxHuntx PSI-20632-0205
Squad depth will be crucial for upcoming games
With Bukayo Saka out with injury, and Martin Odegaard’s recovery timeline weeks away, Arsenal will have to trust on their squad depth.
William Saliba will not be available for next week’s game against Liverpool. Partey believes the upcoming games will be a chance for other players in the team to step up this season:
“It’s important to have a full squad because you are more confident with all your players, but there is a lot of competition and we have to focus on the game, not on the missing players.
“William is a massive player for us but we have good defenders at the club. Somebody will have to step up, and the coach will know what he’s going to do to help the team.”
Arsenal’s unbeaten run this season has come to an end after their shock loss. Their away record in 2024 has also ended. This week, the Gunners have two home games: against Shakhtar midweek and Liverpool on the weekend, as Mikel Arteta’s side hope to bounce back.
