Marcelino Questions Partey’s Impact After Villarreal’s European Exit
Villarreal head coach Marcelino García Toral has delivered a blunt assessment of Thomas Partey after his side’s Champions League loss to Bayer Leverkusen, casting doubt on the Ghanaian midfielder’s influence since arriving at the club.
With Villarreal already out of contention heading into the fixture, Partey was named in the starting XI on Wednesday night. However, the midfielder endured a difficult outing and was withdrawn at the interval after the Yellow Submarine went into the break trailing 2–0.
Speaking after the match, Marcelino made it clear he was far from satisfied with what he has seen from the former Arsenal man since his summer switch to Spain.
“There’s a world of difference between the Thomas we knew at Arsenal and this one,” Marcelino said.
“A world of difference. It’s very difficult to play at this pace in today’s football.
“I think it’s been six months, and that’s enough time for this player to show us what he was or what he’s showing now.”
Partey, who joined Villarreal with high expectations following his Premier League spell, has featured 21 times in all competitions this season. Despite his regular involvement, he has completed a full match on only five occasions, raising further questions about his form and role within the team.
The comments from Marcelino underline growing scrutiny on the 32-year-old as Villarreal assess their squad ahead of the next phase of the season.
