What Thomas Partey did in Ghana v Portugal World Cup fixture will delight Arsenal fans

Arsenal star Thomas Partey tasted his first game at the World Cup and with his team drawing with Portugal, the midfielder assumed a more leadership role when he was with his country.

The midfielder is the assistant captain of the team and in fact it was his goal which qualified for the World Cup. Just like at Arsenal he is the glue that binds the team together but even with added responsibilities as he’s seen directing and pointing to teammates where he should be.

With Portugal so gifted technically Ghana had to sit back and soak up pressure and Partey was at his intercepting best up and down the field. Ghana are in group H with countries like Uruguay and South Korea who played out a 0-0 scoreline in the first half. Their game against Portugal is still ongoing but Partey is showing maturity and desire which will delight Arsenal fans given how pivotal he’s been for them so far this campaign.

Mikel Arteta’s side were the most in-form team in the Premier League before the international break and part of that has been down to Partey and Granit Xhaka’s partnership. There are those who still feel that Partey still has a couple of gears to go to complete his whole evolution from promising to one of the best midfielders in the world and the fact that he is influencing teammates and taking on more responsibilities will come as a fresh development to his game.

Arsenal have as many as 10 first team starters at the World Cup and it will be interesting to see if they can continue from where they left off that has them five points ahead of Manchester City at the top of the Premier League.