Throughout the history of football, managers have made huge decisions, some decisions work out and some don’t and the bigger the decision the bigger the risk to the manager.
Managers have consistently picked their best players when they are unfit, carrying a knock or out of form. It is very easy to draw a list up of high profile managers that have done such a thing.
Just from memory, I recall England manager Terry Venables sticking with Alan Shearer who had gone something like 18 months not scoring for England and he came good in the Euro’s or Ruud Gullit dropping the same player and losing his job the very next day.
To this day Mauricio Pochettino maintains he did the right thing selecting Harry Kane for the Champions League final and how many players have been taken to international tournaments (not just England) that are clearly unfit, injured or in woeful form?
The reason, in my opinion, is simple, picking a player, especially one out of form, is the easier option, it is certainly less risky because some of the blame then shifts on to the player, drop a player and lose and guess who gets all the blame.
Basically, Mikel Arteta cannot drop Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang because if he does and Arsenal loses then all that blame is on the Spaniard, whereas right now most fans are asking what has happened to Aubameyang and some are even claiming he is suffering a form of Ozilitis.
Any other player showing such a drop in form would get dropped but they do not carry the risk that dropping Aubameyang carries.
Look at the Mesut Ozil situation, this is a player that created almost zero for years and finally, he gets dropped and when Arsenal cannot create chances some of the fans want him back ignoring the fact that he was utterly useless when he was in the team.
Imagine what the reaction would be if Aubameyang was dropped, it would be hysterical.
Arteta may not be the best manager for Arsenal but he is not stupid, he will know that even if Auba deserves to be dropped and others given an opportunity to step in, that the sack will soon follow if he took such a momentous decision.
Not really, another non appearance like his last few would mean that Yes, he is being paid a huge sum to stroll around. If that’s the case you’d rather lesser players be given the chance because they couldn’t do any worse.
The writer just had to mention Ozil, I assume OOB?
Created almost zero what, goals, chances?
Aub should be dropped, but it wont happen as the writer says.
Mambo, it is becoming predictable and monotonous isn’t it?
Such a shame, because the article stands on its own theme about Aubameyang’s performances since MA and Edu gave him that contract and why, it seems, Arteta can’t drop him.
My dear Ken, you don’t complain when Dan Smith does the very same thing when he’s writing about a topic completely unrelated to Ozil. Why? Because like you, he backs Ozil and wants him back in the team.
if auba is sufferring from poor from then dropping him for a match or two can be a good thing..
it will relief some pressure and etc form him
Both Aub and Arteta must go. We are at 5th bottom. The first of its kind. we blame Ozil for getting so much for so little, its equally the same with Gunners Captain.
And as a captain, he has failed to inspire the team
Nah.. Its running in our Arsenal blood recently . Captain always screwed up. Take off his captaincy. He will b good.. 😉
Arteta should have not listened to the fans who wanted Aubameyang play as a CF and he shouldn’t bring Ozil back because of the fans’ demand as well. Arteta and the coaches know their players better than any fan, therefore he must move Aubameyang to the left wing
the fans wants to be in charge of everything
Did Arteta told you his decision to shift Auba to central position is to please some fans. I’m curious to know this so that when he eventually reinstated Ozil into the the squad because the fans want it I can fully withdraw all my support of him because he is incapable of making his own decision and a yes man he is and not fit to coach my darling Arsenal
Every article that now comes out reminds me of when Arsene Wenger predicted that within 5 years,Social media networks will determine substitutes.
Yes, that would be perfect.
Arteta just coaches and fans pick team, formation and substitution.
Then we have none to blame but ourselves.
At least Ozil will be in team and we might start winning
An interesting stat from planet football. Last season Ozil has most chances created per 90 at 2.3 followed by pepe 1.9 both played in a defensive formation under Emery and people forget Ozil was in and out of the team. This season our highest is ceballos on 1.8 followed by Willian on 1.4 but according to some Ozil doesnt deserve a place in this current squad.
Yeah, Martin said he creates basically nothing in an article . Not sure where some find these stats.
@Sagooner
Ozil is/was a CAM. His key stats that we should all be primarily concerned about are his goal and assist tally. Why don’t you remind us of those key stats? No problem, I shall remind us. A grand total of 1 goal and 1 assist in 18 PL apps. If these are the kind of figures for an attacking midfielder that we consider as producing the goods, then the standards at this club have fallen far lower than I had previously imagined.
That’s where your logic doesn’t hold.
Ozil can create many chances(as he did) and if they are not converted (as is the case), he doesn’t get an assist. The proof in the pudding. He played with the same players that are not scoring today plus Awobi and Wallcott.
Because he played fewer games, his average is obviously going to be higher.
Also, most people don’t seem to understand defensive formations.
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Put him on and bring him off at half time. That should send a clear message. We’d rather play with Laca and Nketia or Balogun upfront. Please give AMN a chance.
It Will take Arteta or Any manager for that fact two or transfer windows to get this team right.
How about Arteta instead of trying to drop aubameyang focus on his on shortcomings and sort out our attack Aubamayeng is and has been arsenals best player since we signed him under our 2 previous managers and he won arteta his fa cup which everyone brings up when people criticize Arteta .We’re the team with second lowest chances created in the league and aubameyang is the type of striker who needs chances and he’ll finish he’s not gonna beat 3 defenders so no service and Auba will struggle. Put Kane or Aguero in this squad and they’ll struggle for goals.
May I remind you how much goalbound chances he has squandered till date. How is spur better at creating chances? How many chances dis Kane got against us for him to score?
We are no more in era where we had lots beautiful midfielder most of whom create chances. Our squad is with wingers and our tactic is based on creativity from the wing, this is the new era, chances created will be minima henceforth, striker prolific /efficiency will win games, city is suffering from same lack of goals because they miss Aguero and Jesus isn’t prolific enough
Spot on. I agree completely even though Auba is a player I love. He had at least 2 goal scoring chances which he played with his left to where the keeper was. He’s lost his confidence. I don’t buy the idea that we’re not creating chances enough. Our attack is just really low on confidence right now. Wasn’t this the same team that scored in every match post covid without Ozil even against the biggest and best teams? How come, we now need ozil suddenly?
Kane and Aguero won’t suffer because they put in the effort to move and seek out space. Auba is too static of late. We can blame players for not creating, but how will the stats for chances ramp up if the consumer is absent?
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Kane wouldn’t he works front middle and back that is the difference
Auba has scored more goals against Burnley than any other PL team… let’s hope his drought ends later!
It’s match day… the nerves are kicking in…. and completely off topic – AJ won the fight 👌🙂
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The man went from playing football under Klopp and Wenger too amazing coaches who play great attacking football to the come guy who put out come for City who wants him to run back, defend and cross the ball instead of doing what his great at that alone tells me arteta has no clue how to get the best out of auba and I feel auba is now clearly frustrated you can see it in his body language even I feel like him like alot of us fans know Arsenal are going nowhere with Arteta as our manager
I agree, Auba doesn’t look happy and hasn’t done for a while…
was AUBA happy last season?
Why did he sign extension?
Why not happy immediately he commit his future to the club? At least we sign Partey he shouldn’t be happy for lack of ambition, we couldn’t have been expecting us sign 4 marque player. And he couldn’t have been unhappy about Ozil and sokratis absence in the team, because Ozil has been absent for long already. So could you tell us why you think AUBA is unhappy?
Unhappy
And this whole he needs 9 players is really getting to me what has he done to deserve that backing from the board that’s a whole new squad for him Wenger who gave Arsenal their best years didnt even get that and had the board backed him when necessary we would have won the league a few more times. But the board couldn’t back the greatest manage in our history when they said he has their backing when he qualified so many times for the Champions league .what makes y’all think they gonna back a complete novice who has us sitting In 15th?! So we need a manager who can get the best out of what we have we maybe 2 or 3 additions and build on from there no manager is entitled to just come in and change a whole squad not even pep or Klopp did you earn that right and arteta isn’t even close to that yet.
I’m just praying for a win today it’s been frustrating being an arsenal fan lately if we dominate games and loss atleast we can say the boys played well but we’ve been poor to watch and just as poor in the results. I’m still 100% behind the team and arteta Today coz I support this club first and foremost not the players not the manager I Support arsenal and want the best for my team that’s where this frustration come from. I’m just hoping the boys give us something to finally smile about. COYG hoping for a comfortable 3-0 win but il even take a 1-0 own goal. 3 points is a must of Arteta needs to go that will be 13 points from 12 games and I dont think that’s even acceptable for Westham nevermind Arsenal.
I agree with your analysis, however, this is a huge dilemma, in the sense that we really do not have a lot of options, presently our our attackers are not doing OK, I will like to see Nelson, Nketia /Balogun, Saka start though because this big boys are not putting in effort at all.
I hope AUBA start from the bench
You’re 31 years old one of the most potent goal scorers in the world(his numbers over the last 6 years back that up ) but instead of being in attacking and dangerous positions you’re asked to track back defend and put In crosses to lacazette(because he’s unplayable in the air smh) and when you do make runs of the shoulder on the last defender to one is looking for or if they see it can play that pass to put you in on goal. You’ve played under great Mangers in Wenger and Klopp and flourished the guy even flourished under Emery and no you’re stuck with a manager who as the weeks go by becomes clearer that he ain’t got a clue and when they got him to sign they probably promised him we’d be challenging for top 4 atleast this season but we’re 15th. Tell me Adajim would you be happy.
In a comment section debate after the wolves game, I pointed out 3 times that the team deliberately created space for Auba, but he didn’t move. More often than not, Auba makes what at first sight looks like a good run, but in hindsight you notice that he just made himself difficult to pass to.
Example: the second goal we conceded against spurs. In the attack, after Bellerin receives the ball in the spurs box, Auba breaks stride. I’d imagine this was to give Bellerin a passing option. Inexplicably however, he then tries to make a run beyond a spurs defender. Much as I blame Bellerin for not looking up a second time before passing, or maybe choosing a different solution like shooting, I blame Auba more. Even if Bellerin had noticed Auba’s secondary action, the angle for the pass had been narrowed too much by the pass that it was maybe an 80-20 in spur’s favor to intercept. Such a run also meant that a shot was the obvious solution for Bellerin, which meant if he had chosen that, Lloris would have had an easy save, but we’d have blamed Bellerin for not feeding Auba.
Everything I’ve explained happened in a fraction of a second, but it’s these kinds of moments that make or break games.
I noticed someone ask why Auba was on the wing crossing for Laca. In the two games Auba played upfront alone, we were unable to string two passes together upfront because he neither has the ball control nor the will of a center forward .
He’s the best finisher we have by a mile. Now we need to find a way to make him the best striker and unfortunately, the solution is to work hard.
Watch Sadio Mane, Patrick Bamford,Marcus Rashford, Harry Kane,Heug Min Son. They all have one thing in common. They move. They look for space. They don’t stand there accompanying their defenders like Auba has been doing of late.
I love this, I thought am the only one noticing it, several time Saka loss possession on the lwb while on the attack because AUBA refuse to move into space to create options and on the spur game, I felt same
Spot on Joe. Brilliant
If I had signed a contract and told we will be in the top 5 and we are 15th I would think What the f**k have I done
Kane and Aguero won’t suffer because they put in the effort to move and seek out space. Auba is too static of late. We can blame players for not creating, but how will the stats for chances ramp up if the consumer is absent?
Another useless article from an ozil hater who is hurting arsenal is doing so bad and still won’t have the decency to admit DAT wit the presence of ozil, arsenal situation can never be this horrible for it has never been and of course auba shouldn’t be dropped for we know already d dude has no footwork, just pace.May God help us. Gunners for life!
Arsenal has become a retirement home. Sign a mega deal and leave in your passed glories. The young and hungry players play in Cup games the big players play shit week in week out.
Abu We have fancy giving Willian £220 000 a week it’s no wonder we have no money
Chances created and Asssits are two entirely different things and this arsenal side are doing neither auba thrives of chances as do most strikers aguero and kane included theres only so many goals they can score through solo efforts. If you dont understand that most elite strikers thrive of supply then you’re pretty deluded even Lewandowski needs to be fed the ball to score goals. I do agree that Auba’s runs in the spurs game was half hearted but if you constantly make those runs and no one sees them doesn’t there come a time when you think to yourself what’s the point Aubameyang is human after all. I feel like constantly stating auba as if he’s a poor player let’s try instead figure out how our best player and one of the best strikers in the world has been so poor and unable to influence games. To me personally it makes more sense that the tactics are wrong and arent getting the best out of him then to believe a striker who’s been on top of his game for the better part of the last decade is all of a sudden so poor he can only muster one goal.
what tactic is wrong? is it that he isn’t getting service at all or he squandered it?
Aubameyang,
Saka, Ozil, Pepe,
M-Niles, Partey,
Tierney, Gabriel, Holding, Cedric,
Leno.
Subs – Martinelli, Lacazette, Elneny.
Will this squad win any of the big teams? I am not so sure.
when was the last time AMN played in that position, and how many games has he played there so far in his career, don’t forget he is now an English international and hasn’t been picked as a midfielder, can all coaches be wrong while fans are right?
We’re too pragmatic under arteta, our build up play is too slow and all we ever seem to do is cross the ball and we’re not very good at that either (if we had KDB crossing then u can maybe understand but we have bellerin who barely beats the first man).we create nothing through the middle which is where Auba’s strengths are he thrives of supply through channels which he runs on to and finishes watch him throughout his career and you’ll see that’s the type of striker he is and if you offering him a bumper contract should you not build your team around him and play to his strengths to get the best out of him otherwise why keep him this shows me that the problem is Arteta and not Auba. Arteta has no clue. Give auba to any other top 6 side and he’ll win the golden boot. People already forgetting he turned down Barcelona to stay here so he’s not short of talent or people with footballing knowledge recognizing his talents. You lot would rather have a headless chicken like nketiah then a world class proven striker like aubameyang coz you can’t accept that arteta and his tactics are what’s really killing this team. Is William contributing more than ozil and does he work hard enough for the team? But he starts every week while Mesut Ozil cant even get into our europa league side. Bellerin starts every week and yet everyone knows he’s not good enough same can be said for Xhaka who Mikel convinced to stay by the way. I think some perspective is needed. Because when Arsene was here everything was his fault but somehow Mikel has nothing to answer for when we’re 15 after 11 games ,sitting on an embarrassing 13 points and playing the worst football I’ve seen in my life as an arsenal fan and somehow this is Wenger’s, Ozil’s, Aubas fault but not the man in charge of picking the team and setting up how we play smh.
I miss Wenger Football ,
With Auba or without him if he loses today it is curtains surely