Former Manchester United defender, Gary Neville has praised Arsenal manager, Mikel Arteta for benching Thomas Partey in their 2-0 win over Newcastle United at St James’ Park.
After missing out on the starting lineup against Chelsea, Thomas Partey was made to sit at the bench for the second time in a row when Arsenal went to Newcastle with Jorginho taking over his place.
He was however introduced in the 80th minute to replace Martin Odegaard, the first goalscorer of the game.
And Gary Neville believes Mikel Arteta’s decision to bench Thomas Partey who has been a core figure for Arsenal this season was perfect which culminated to their vital win against Newcastle United who are chasing for Champions League slot next season.
“I thought they might get eaten alive [on Sunday vs Newcastle]. The atmosphere was ferocious. Arsenal grew up here a lot,” he told Sky Sports.
“Mikel Arteta deserves a lot of credit for picking Jorginho. Many would have said get Thomas Partey back in there. The class Martin Odegaard showed in the first 30 minutes was outstanding.
“Jorginho composed his teammates and guided them. (Gabriel) Martinelli and (Bukayo) Saka are still not at their best but the composure from Odegaard and Jorginho was there for all to see.
“The reason why Manchester United players and Pep Guardiola have said Paul Scholes is their favourite player was because in moments in the hardest atmosphere in a difficult away game, those players are unique.
“They have the composure, the balance to get the team playing. That’s what Jorginho reminded me of – he was fantastic.”
