Smith Rowe could've eaten one of those chances that fell to Vieira just now. It's an annoyance he is so thoroughly exiled, whether he stays or goes.
I think we need to play Rice into that 6 role as much as possible.
If Rice can make that deeper role his own, albeit with different tools to beat the press than Partey has had, then we'll be well set. If we rely on Partey, we're in trouble. An established defensive midfield star at Partey's Atletico level will probably set us back £150m next summer, when Partey will already be more than a year overdue to leave, never mind his character issues.
