Hello! Our top striker Aubameyang is serving a three match ban, due to the red card he was issued in the game against Crystal Palace. He will surely be missed but then, we have other players who can score goals! They just need to step up and make the very important impact, when called upon to play by Arteta.
According to the Metro, Arteta has implored his players to fill the gap now that Aubameyang has been suspended.
“They now have to make a step forward now he is not able to contribute to the team with goals,’ said Arteta when asked if other players needed to step up. ‘Someone else has to do it and I want to see that reaction too.”
It is a good thing that Arteta is asking his players not to make the team miss Aubameyang in our next three games; however the poser here is who will step up and grab the opportunity Auba’s suspension has created?
We have Lacazette, we have Martinelli, we have Nketiah, and we have Pepe. All these aforementioned players are capable of winning games for Arsenal on a good day. The problem however, is that they have not been contributing goals to aid the cause of Arsenal. With Aubameyang scoring 14 goals this season and Lacazette scoring 5 goals, you may be tempted to ask where our goals will come from. You won’t also be wrong to feel we may not score more than one goal in games that we should be scoring more.
Well, I am not Arteta and I won’t try to act as if I am a coach, but if I am asked to make a suggestion on how Arsenal can play and score goals without Auba, then these are the three players I suggest he should consider.
Gabriel Martinelli: The Brazilian wonder kid has been a revelation since he came to Arsenal and it won’t be out of place to hand a starting shirt to him in our next game. The good thing about him is that he can play in any position in the attack.
Eddie Nketiah: This young lad has enjoyed a steady growth, career wise, recently. He scores goals naturally. He made an impact in the youth set up and he surely has a future in the senior team if mentored and guided well. This may just be an opportunity for him to start making an impact in the team. It won’t be out of place to give him a chance to lay claim to a starting shirt.
Nicolas Pepe: Our record signing last summer is yet to hit full form. To be fair to him, he has shown glimpses of how deadly he can be as a player but he needs to start being consistent. Football is a game that has little or no patience with players. If he continues this on and off pattern of football, he may be frozen out of the team in no time. However, in the absence of Auba, Pepe should start all our games because of his pace, dribbling skills and powerful left leg.
These three players should be utilized in a three man attack in our next three games. What do we think?
We are Arsenal and we are proud.
Sylvester Kwentua