Arsenal: Unai Emery must respect the bromance
By Josh Sippie
Arsenal have a pair of strikers that like each other so much, they are willing to make sacrifices for each other. So it’s time to respect that.
Arsenal‘s opening week loss to Manchester City was disheartening, but promising at the same time. There are weapons within this team that make it a dangerous foe to any and every opponent. It’s just a matter of figuring out who best fits where.
Alexandre Lacazette was left on the bench against City, with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang stepping into the lone striker role, flanked by the two creative attackers who didn’t create much of anything.
In return, the attack had few chances, and even fewer that were actual threats. That is, until Lacazette came on around the hour mark and made an immediate impact, showcasing just how hungry he was to make a difference.
Pairing Lacazette with Aubameyang should be an easy task to accomplish for Unai Emery. All he has to do is respect their budding bromance, which is literally the foundation of this attack.
In a moment of inspiration, Aubameyang even admitted that he would move out to the left wing if it meant starting alongside his pal Lacazette.
More from Pain in the Arsenal
- 3 standout players from 1-0 victory over Everton
- 3 positives & negatives from Goodison Park victory
- Arsenal vs PSV preview: Prediction, team news & lineups
- 3 talking points from Arsenal’s victory at Goodison Park
- Mikel Arteta provides Gabriel Martinelli injury update after Everton win
This is just the latest in a string of Aubameyang putting himself out there for Lacazette, who can’t seem to get any consistent respect himself. It’s clear how good the Frenchman is, the only thing in his way is the inability of his managers to trust in the power of two strikers.
Whatever happens next, the first thing that needs to be accomplished is finding room for both Lacazette and Aubameyang. When you have the latter saying that he will literally change his position in order to get the former into the starting XI alongside, it’s probably time to make the necessary adjustments.
After all, as aforementioned, the creative attackers weren’t much help to Aubameyang, but when Lacazette came on, things changed. The attack hinges on these two, and nobody else.
Emery has to respect the bromace. That’s what this comes down to. There’s no need to overthink this. He has time to experiment with different set-ups, but no matter the set-up, he has to take Aubameyang up on his offer. Players like Lacazette don’t belong on the bench.
In the meantime, if we want to experiment with a two-striker set, well, that would be okay too.