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Arsenal: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang posing a brand new problem
By Josh Sippie
Arsenal pulled a conclusive victory out of nothing against West Ham, and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was a major piece. Which is a potential risk.
The first hour of the match between Arsenal and West Ham was a bit anticlimactic. Here I expected whoever Arsene Wenger threw out there to be inspired and firing on all cylinders. Of course, that’s a bit naive, as it could never be that easy, but still, the relative lackluster enthusiasm was apparent.
The sharpness in the attack just wasn’t there, and sure, that can be attributed to the missing Mesut Ozil and Henrikh Mkhitaryan, but there were still players out there to make a difference. Granit Xhaka did his part and Aaron Ramsey was an instigator, but something was lacking.
It wasn’t until about the 67th minute mark that things really turned around. And it’s quite easy to explain why – an ineffective (yet again) Alex Iwobi came off and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang came on in his stead.
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The effect was immediate. Aubameyang created space, he freed up a suffocated Alexandre Lacazette and, just like that, this attack looked at full capacity, firing on all cylinders and making West Ham look like the 15th place side they are.
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On one hand, this is exciting. Going forward into next season, the attacking potential of this club is fearsome, and it will only bolster more in the summer.
On the other hand, seeing as how this was a dress rehearsal for Atletico Madrid, there has to be a bit of concern over what this club will be able to do without Aubameyang to turn to if things get a bit stuffy.
The stark contrast between the first hour and the last half hour made it clear why Aubameyang was purchased in the first place. What he brings to this side wasn’t there before. But it still won’t be there in the most important (I mean, the only important) competition yet to fight for.
Which means it will come down to Ozil, who was sick for the dress rehearsal, to make the difference and use his lock-picking ability to break down an Atletico Madrid defense that is far stingier than this Hammers defense was.
Of course, any potential impact from Mkhitaryan would be a welcomed presence as well.
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It’s dicey, because without Aubameyang, I’m not sure how this match would have turned out. It’s the first time that we’ve had to deal with such a situation, but now that it’s here, it is indeed a situation.