Claudius
I completely agree that Partey's ability to receive and progress is up there with the best midfielders in world football. His progressive passing is also excellent. I also agree that our style last season was based on more direct and aggressive passing than City's.
What I'm predicting is that Arteta wants to take the team to the next level primarily by becoming more efficient in possession. Playing progressive passes in the right moments, so that the ball is given away less.
And I think the crucial part in the machine when trying to consistently get that balance between progression and accuracy right is the Number 6. The Busquets or the Rodri.
It's not just about being able to receive the ball and open up passing angles with your first touch, dribbling or body position, or being able to slide passes through gaps that hardly exist or whip balls out wide - it's about knowing when to do that, and when the right pass is the patient one. The pass that might enable someone else to play a more telling progressive pass, or maybe a pass that pulls the opposition press around and opens things up, etc., etc. The 6 has to be able to sniff all that out and understand the bigger picture.
The best way to illustrate what I mean is to talk about what Ødegaard does in a different but more obvious way in the attacking third of the pitch - because we all see it every week. When he receives the ball he always knows where team mates and opponents are and because of that he more often than not sees the most efficient/correct pass to play. It might be a direct pass himself, it might be one to Ben White knowing it will pull a marker out of position and open up some space for himself or someone else, it might be to Jesus knowing it will result in Saka getting in behind 2 passes later, it might be beating his marker to open up space for a progressive pass. The point is, he sees what others don't. He sees beyond just the next pass or the most progressive pass. He's playing chess. He works out where the team can hurt the opposition the most and not just where he individually can.
Busquets played chess, too, but it was more subtle because it didn't usually result in goals or chance creation. But his great quality was that when he received the ball he knew exactly where EVERYONE was and as a result could see which pass was the one that best balanced risk and reward. Which pass created an overload now or in 3 passes, or which one would result in isolating Messi one-v-one in a couple of passes, and on and on.
Now, I'm not saying Rice is Busquets (nor is Rodri). But I am saying that I've watched Rice closely and he sees the bigger picture in a way that Partey doesn't. I think many Arsenal fans are going to be surprised just how clever the guy is and how much he will improve the way we play.
