Arsenal: Aubameyang needs Alexandre Lacazette now

Arsenal notched three points against Bournemouth, but the lack of Alexandre Lacazette was clear and prevalent, mostly in respects to Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

Arsenal‘s win over Bournemouth was the needed breath of fresh air coming off a tremendously deflated international break. The draw against Wolverhampton really did the mood in. 16 in a row didn’t mean much when it came in such a feeble match.

Bournemouth wasn’t a feeble match. There were moments of feeble, but the second half was much more demonstrative, the style of which we have gotten used to seeing in recent matches.

And, even though it was Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang that broke the deadlock and gave us the win, there is no hiding that the Gabonese blew three other chances, two of which really should have amounted to much more than a thudded effort over the bar from reasonable range.

It wasn’t that long ago that Aubameyang was the catalyst that lifted Lacazette out of the depths of last season. The Frenchman had been in a rut, injured and replaced, and it was Aubameyang’s dedicated friendship and just being a good teammate that did the trick.

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It’s pretty evident now that Lacazette needs to return the favor. I know that may sound stupid, seeing as how Aubameyang is tied for the top of the league in goals scored. And maybe I’m being nit-picky here, but is it too much to ask for him to not be wholly worthless for over an hour before tapping home a goal and dispensing then naysayers just like that?

I don’t think so. But, thankfully, it isn’t that much of a fix. He just needs Lacazette back. Because when Lacazette is in the XI, the focus shifts onto the Frenchman, who is much more adept at handling it, as he is known for taking his chances, whereas Aubameyang is… not so much.

Taking the spotlight is a huge part of the benefit that Lacazette brings for his strike mate. Aubameyang has had tremendous success this year, and I hate to sound ungrateful, but he has worked better when he is off to the side, because it allows the team to flow more cohesively. It allows Lacazette to take the reigns while Aubameyang does an Ozil-like thing and contributes in what ways he can.

Aubameyang has been great, there’s no doubting that, but if he can be even better, then why not root for that? All we need is Lacazette back.