The Captain Conundrum: What to do with Aubameyang? by Goonerboy
Hello family!!! A lot has been going on regarding Ozil, it is overwhelming and emotional to be sincere, but I admire the way Arteta has remained solid on his stance, this is the ruthless streak we need to change the culture at this football club, I have a lot to say but I will resist the urge as this is not an Ozil article.
Speaking of being ruthless, would you agree if I said we need to apply the same to our captain right now? For the records, this is not hating on Aubameyang or anything of the sort but I can’t help but think that he does not merit a starting position right now.
The game these days is so unforgiving and completely result-driven that there is almost no room for any passenger in a team. I believe it is generally accepted, at least among our fanbase, that if Aubameyang is not scoring, he brings absolutely nothing to the table. It amazes me how a seasoned footballer is completely unreliable with the ball at his feet when not in a scoring position.
When he has the ball, I always worry about him giving the ball away so much that I sigh in relief whenever he successfully completes a 5-yard pass, although he perfectly makes up for it with his world class positioning, movement and finishing, and you can’t ask for more.
However, the goals have somewhat dried up and we are no longer seeing the hard work as shown towards the end of last season which for me is a big worry. We can slam Lacazette all we want, but I don’t think anyone can question his never-say-die attitude, consistent hard work, how he tactically makes us tick offensively even when he is not scoring, can we say the same for Aubameyang right now?
Don’t mind me for trying to do Arteta’s job, but seeing the difference Martinelli has made, in just his attitude alone, since his return, there is no way one can justify not playing him and that goes to Lacazette and Saka as well.
My question is, you are the manager, how would you line up in our next PL game? What do you do about our captain?
To answer in my own way, the front trio of Martinelli, Lacazette and Saka has to continue- it is easy for me to say that because I wouldn’t have to bear any consequences for airing my opinion!
But for the manager it is not so straightforward, for the simple fact that right now, our dressing room is in a very delicate state and Arteta has to be very careful in managing the situation. Benching your captain in favour of a youngster is not going to sit well at all, especially when you consider Auba’s influence is the dressing room and with what has happened with Ozil, it is indeed a tricky situation right now.
Martinelli has somehow brought a positive mentality back to the team as he, alongside Smith Rowe, has given us a glimmer of hope in what has been a frustrating season. Tactically, I enjoy the partnership between Tierney, Martinelli and ESR on that left side, it gives us a much needed balance and unpredictability.
Apart from the fact that Lacazette is integral to the way we want to play, he is officially the most in-form player right now in the league according to Whoscored and Squawka and do I need any justification for our star boy Saka?
There is no way Aubameyang deserves to start ahead of any of these players AT THE MOMENT, but how do you do that and still maintain peace and harmony in the team?
The easier choice would be to bench Martinelli, but I strongly hope we don’t do that, we need to unleash this beast of a player and no better time to do so than NOW!
What do you think?
Goonerboy…