Arsenal: Partnerships make for prosperity, and the Gunners have a great one

In football, strong, deep-rooted and innately understood partnerships make for prosperity. It has happened throughout history. And now Arsenal, in Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, have a great one.

If you were to peruse the footballing history books, trickle through the titles and the tribulations, the greats and the grotesque, you would find a similar pattern running through almost all of the landscape-changing teams: Partnerships.

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The age-old ‘big-man-little-man’ striker pairing. The overlapping full-back marauding past a drifting, inside-cutting winger. The two centre-halves: one is a dominating ball-winner; the other is the calm, composed ball-player. Throughout footballing history, partnerships have made for prosperity.

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And now, Arsenal, in Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Henrikh Mkhitaryan, have two players who share that innate, seemingly telepathic understanding that all these great duos also possessed. Aubameyang even, in an interview with the Arsenal Weekly Podcast, revealed that he called Mkhitaryan before he decided to make the North London switch, admitting that the Armenian’s presence at the Emirates was a factor in convincing him to sign:

"“It’s like [being reunited with] a brother, a good friend We played together in the past and I’m really happy to see him again.  He called me a few times, he asked, ‘Will you come or not?’ I said, ‘First you have to tell me if you sign or not’. He told me all was done and of course, it was a big factor in coming here. We understand each other on and off the pitch, that’s why it’s easier on the pitch [The fans] have to be happy [to see us together], we will do our best of course, like we did in the past.”"

Certainly, on the pitch, it was clear at Borussia Dortmund that the two enjoyed a special and unique connection that few other players could share. And again, it was present on Saturday in the 5-1 dismantling against Everton.

It took Arsenal just six minutes to break the deadlock. While it was Aaron Ramsey who scored that goal, it was a flicked, around-the-corner, first-time pass from Aubameyang, perfectly into the path of Mkhitaryan that instigated the sweeping, cutting move.

Similarly, for the fourth goal, it was Mkhitaryan who slipped into a pocket of space in between the Everton midfield and defence. As soon as he received the ball on the half-turn and looked to drive at the defence, Aubameyang was calculating the direction and timing of his run. Naturally, as soon as he made his dart off the shoulder of Michael Keane, Mkhitaryan found him with a beautifully slid through pass.

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This is a partnership that Arsenal will have to rely upon for the remainder of this season and for seasons to come. While they have a long way to go to match some of the pantheonic partnerships of years gone by, it is still encouraging and exciting to see such two great players in the same team.