Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has been Arsenal’s most important player since he joined the club as his goals have been able to keep them competitive.
He only moved to the Emirates in January of 2018 from Borussia Dortmund and he has proven to be a key signing for the club.
Last season, the club was in some form of crisis after then captain Granit Xhaka had fallen out with the fans.
Xhaka was stripped of the captain’s armband, and it was handed over to Aubameyang.
With his goals leading the club to win the FA Cup and the Community Shield, it is safe to say that the striker has been worth giving the captain’s armband.
He has suffered from a goal drought recently, but he is someone that can be trusted to turn his form around.
He recently spoke about being the captain of the team, and how it has changed him.
“I think [I have changed], yeah,” he told Arsenal’s official matchday programme.
“Because you feel a lot of responsibilities and I think I am trying to give everything in every single game.
“I think before maybe, I don’t know, it was not done on purpose but maybe sometimes I was a little bit less concerned on certain games. But now I am just focusing on every game and trying to give my best. Even if I’m on the bench I try to scream and help my team-mates, so yeah I think it’s changed me.
“I think this is really important because sometimes you can also have bad days and be in a bad mood, so you have to try to change it into positive things. This is where I am, how can I say, it’s easy for me to make people maybe happier: to lift them up and that’s my job. I can say that’s my job but I do it naturally.
“I just have to be the example for everyone. If I have to go to the gym to do the upper body I have to go first, then everyone will follow. Because the guys in the gym are waiting and say, ‘If you come then everyone will come! You know that!’ So I say ‘OK, OK’ so now I am the first to go to the gym, this is it.”
I have just watched the 31 goals Aubamayang scored as a CENTRAL STRIKER in the season Dortmund sold Lewandowski. Of those 31 goals 15 were scored from inside the 6 yard box. 14 were scored inside the 18 yard line and 2 were penalties.
No mention of tracking back. Inverted Wingers. Just played as a central striker.
Not difficult is it? Just play your best striker as a striker.
We cannot compare the Dortmund Auba played for and Arsenal under MA, Dortmund were mostly a counter attacking team and Auba had a free role and wasn’t not required to track back and he was younger, right now MA wants his CF to constantly track back and press defenders something Auba can no longer do, there is also his hold up play which is a big thing for us at the minute with no proper link between midfield and attack, we need a CF that can hold the ball and bring more players into play(Giroud was great at it) lastly our opponents play with low blocks which means Auba has less opportunities to beat high line defenses, offside, no more one on one with GK’s….
If you bothered reading the very little I said PAL you would have noted the point I was trying to make. Aubamayang CAN play as a central striker. Lacazette is totally unreliable as a goal scorer and as Nketiah is also unreliable we are left with only Auba to play there.
And these tactics you have detailed. Don’t you believe that’s half the problem with our lack of creativity? We have players that are now far too drilled to defend than attack.
We should be in a 442 or 4213 with better organisation. Not difficult PAL
Less talk and more goals.
Thank you.