Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta may be reluctant to play Thomas Partey at right-back against Everton (Image: GETTY)
missed the opportunity to move to within four points of leaders on Sunday as they were held to a . And Gunners boss may have been guilty of making a mistake at Craven Cottage that he needs to avoid in the future if he wants his team to keep pace with the Reds.
Fulham took the lead after 11 minutes in west London as Raul Jimenez latched onto a pass from Kenny Tete and fired the ball beyond the reach of away keeper David Raya.
then claimed a share of the spoils as William Saliba turned the ball in following another well-worked corner from the north London giants.
Arteta named Thomas Partey at right-back for the trip across the capital, with Jurrien Timber lining up on the opposite side of defence.
But that strategy doesn’t appear to be working, with struggling to get the results they crave with the Ghana international in defence.
Partey has appeared at right-back four times this season in the absence of Ben White, with the Englishman currently sidelined after undergoing surgery on his knee last month.
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Arsenal have ground out better results this term when Jurrien Timber has been playing at right-back (Image: GETTY)
Partey’s first game on the right came against Southampton in October as ran out 3-1 winners. The experiment may have worked on that occasion, but it hasn’t worked since as the Gunners have drawn 2-2 with , lost 1-0 to and failed to overcome Fulham with Partey in the position.
But Arteta doesn’t need to get clever to solve the issue as the Gunners have a much better record with Jurrien Timber at right-back.
When the Netherlands international has occupied that spot in the team this season, have won 87.5 per cent of their matches. The 23-year-old has slotted in well on the right and gives the side plenty of balance when called upon. And he could return to the position when host Everton on Saturday.
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Arteta will be desperate to get his side firing again following their below-par performance at Craven Cottage.
The three-time champions have only won eight of their 15 top-flight matches this season and are currently six points behind despite playing one more game than the Merseyside outfit.
Arteta’s side travel to Crystal Palace after their clash with Everton before hosting Ipswich in their final encounter of the year. They will then begin 2025 with back-to-back trips to Brentford and Brighton.