Arsenal: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang ghosting hardly concerning

Arsenal got far from the best out of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang against Liverpool, but a disappointing ghosting is far from a concern.

Nobody likes it when star players go missing in crucial matches. least of all Arsenal fans that have had to suffer through the occasional Mesut Ozil disappearance(s) that have littered his time at the Emirates. So to see Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang amass a girthy 13 touches against Liverpool, well, that’s just not acceptable.

But really though, how not acceptable is it? Because let’s be honest, is anyone here actually doubting the quality of Aubameyang? He is still tied for the top in the Golden Boot race, he has scored crucial goals before, and you’d be hard-pressed to find any unbiased opinion out there saying that Aubameyang isn’t worth it.

That said, what we know about Aubameyang perpetuates this “just accept it” mentality. We know that he is not all that great if he isn’t shooting the ball or in wide open spaces. We know he needs proper service, and we know that he is twice the player he normally is when Alexandre Lacazette is out there with him.

So essentially, we know that all the parameters that he needed were not provided against Liverpool. He had zero space, zero service, zero Lacazette.

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As a team, the Gunners created just six total chances, and one of those was actually from Aubameyang himself which, spoiler alert, means it wasn’t a chance put in his own direction. He only managed one shot the entire game and, lo and behold, this should be no great surprise.

Because the question we should be asking ourselves isn’t “where was Aubameyang?” but rather, where are the chances going to come from on a consistent basis? Ozil, Mkhitaryan, Iwobi are all as unreliable as they come. You never know what they are going to be good for, let alone if they are going to be healthy.

The primary source of chances is Sead Kolasinac. The astute reader may now be saying, “well he was out there against Liverpool, wasn’t he?” and yes, astute reader, you would be right. But Kolasinac is a superb creator as a wingback – someone you can build a strategy around.

As a fullback, though? Not so much. In fact, not at all. He is a fragment of his wingback self at fullback.

Aubameyang did nothing wrong. he was the victim of an incomplete plan. He’ll score a brace against Fulham.