Arsenal: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang joy more important than goals

Arsenal are getting a lot of goals out of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, but from a completely serious standpoint, isn’t his joy more important?

I recognize that Arsenal signed Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to score goals, and he is doing that, but I’m more in tune with his clear exuberance on the pitch. Maybe it’s the former Alexis-loving self that I am, but knowing just how painful it is to watch a team when even one person is unhappy, it’s enough to leave me reading the facial expressions of every player I’m unsure of.

I was unsure of Aubameyang. Seeing as how the Gunners are in a bit of a pickle regarding their potential future in the Champions League, I was at least a tad concerned that maybe Aubameyang wouldn’t fit in right away, especially given how poorly Borussia Dortmund spoke of him.

Given the first-hand accounts of his team mates, I really had no reason to be worried, but let me go ahead and blame Alexis again.

The point is, I love that he is scoring goals. He is now the most successful Arsenal player through his first seven games (six goals) and he may yet catch Alexis Sanchez and score more total Premier League goals than the frustrated little Chilean (wouldn’t that be amazing?).

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Honestly, though, even if he wasn’t scoring as often, or even not at all, but was enjoying himself and combining with his team mates, I’d be just as happy. The goals were always going to come with Aubameyang, even if it took time, which it clearly isn’t. But getting a guy to fit in with a new team, when both the new guy and the new team are in a bit of turmoil, that takes a special kind of bond that I can’t help but think we are already seeing.

And granted, he wasn’t going to be pitching fits as he scores goals at a new team, but that joy and that chemistry isn’t something you can fabricate, at least not as convincingly as he is managing to do it.

The best part about the match against Southampton is he was doing it all despite not having Mesut Ozil or Henrikh Mkhitaryan or any of the regular, elite players he will usually be accompanied by. He had to make due with the squad players, and make do he certainly did.

Maybe I’m falling into the same trap I always fall in to, but I’m excited for next season because, on paper, this club does not have many weaknesses. How that translates on the pitch is anyone’s guess, but if we are getting any sort of hint of it now, I’d reckon it may potentially be safe to get excited.

Next: 5 Things Learned Against Southampton

But only potentially.

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