Thomas Partey’s Almeria stumble again

Thomas Partey played 90 minutes for UD Almeria as they lost 2-1 away at Rayo Vallecano to fall deeper into the relegation mire in La Liga.

It doesn’t look good for Almeria. After 32 matches they sit in 17th place in the Liga BBVA table and are only outside the relegation zone on goal difference.

Beneath them, Deportivo la Coruna in 18th place also lost—falling 2-1 at home to Atletico Madrid—in a result which keeps Almeria outside the drop zone for now. Granada and Cordoba—in 19th and 20th place respectively—both picked up points, which, for the former at least, keeps alive their tangible hopes of remaining in the division.

With only six games to play, Almeria remain worrying close to danger and will be disappointed at having missed the opportunity to build on their convincing 3-0 victory over Granada last week.

Their disappointment at the final whistle contrasted with the delight of the Rayo supporters, for whom a 2-0 triumph all but secures their spot in the top flight for next term.

Antonio Amayu opened the scoring with fine header in the first half, before Miku—who had entered as a substitute—made it 2-0 inside the last minute with a sharp finish from close range.

Ghanaian Partey played the full 90 minutes, but with Ramon Azeez and Corona occupying the central midfield spots in Sergi Barjuan’s 4-4-2 formation, he was played in an unfamiliar attacking role alongside Congo forward Thievy Bifouma.

Partey managed to hold up the ball well—winning four aerial battles according to WhoScored, more than any other Almeria player—but didn’t manage a single shot on target.

The 21-year-old has typically played in his favoured position as a defensive midfielder this term, impressing in what has been a difficult season for Almeria.

He scored twice last weekend in the rout of Granada—and was named in the La Liga Team of the Week—but was unable to repeat the feat this time around.

The Odumase Krobo native is currently on loan at the Juegos Mediterraneos from Atletico Madrid, having previously featured on loan for Mallorca.