Arsenal: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang could do with ending well

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has gone a little quiet in recent weeks. It is not all that concerning, but it would be nice to see the Arsenal striker end well, starting with Sunday’s match against Burnley.

It’s been a strange first half-season for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. Signed as Arsenal’s club-record centre-forward who was set to spearhead the attack into a new dimension, his importance to the cause quickly fizzled out after two successive losses to Manchester City in a week just a month after he arrived.

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Those defeats saw the Gunners lose in the Carabao Cup final, their only hope of a domestic trophy at that time, and then slip out of the top-four race to the extent that it was wholly improbable that they would be able to recover. Suddenly, the only competition that mattered was the Europa League, one that Aubameyang couldn’t play in.

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And so, his past few months have been spent wandering through relatively meaningless Premier League games, playing with the reserves and youth prospects, and trying to ready himself for next season when he will be a fully-fledged part of the squad. It is all a little bit odd.

His form early on was excellent. He scored on his debut against Everton. He then later went on a run of a goal in four successive games, five goals in total. After that run, he had scored six goals in seven Premier League appearances and eight appearances in all competitions.

But he has played three games since then, two of them starts, and has failed to score in any of them, offering just one assist against Newcastle United three weeks ago where he featured on the left flank. He did provide a directness, impetus and attacking spark when he was introduced against West Ham United, but this was again as a left winger.

As a centre-forward, Aubamayeng disappointed against Manchester United, again shunted to the peripheries of the game even though his team did offer a pacy and creative threat on the counter-attack, especially in the first hour or so of the match.

That adds to a run of underwhelming displays against the big teams — Spurs; Manchester City twice, and now United, which is a little concerning. It is not nearly enough for me to question his role in the side or the price paid to acquire him. He has shown plenty of quality in his few months in north London to justify that.

But in preparing for next season, which is what it is all about for Aubameyang and the rest of his teammates now that the Europa League is over with, it would be nice to see him end on a high in these final three matches, starting against Burnley on Sunday, score a couple of goals, and provide him with a little confidence before the summer comes.

Next: Arsenal Vs Burnley: Predicted starting XI

Will I be worried if he doesn’t score in the coming week? No, not really. He’s a quality player. But would it be nice to see him make the net ripple a few more times? Absolutely.

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