Arsenal: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang a bad finisher, and that’s fine

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is a poor finisher, consistently wasting very good chances that should be converted. But actually, that’s absolutely fine because the Arsenal centre-forward is prolific nonetheless.

I always felt a little uneasy when I encountered some of the rather vicious criticism Raheem Sterling received for his performances during the World Cup in the summer. The England midfielder, playing off Harry Kane, missed a slew of rather decent opportunities and was heavily scrutinised for his wasteful finishing.

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The vitriol he received was harsh. Overly so. And it also lacked accuracy. Although Sterling’s finishing was wayward, the more accurate analysis was to praise his movement, awareness and creativity to create the openings for himself in the first place, even if he proceeded to miss them. Analytics will tell you that, over time, the quantity of chances is far more significant for scoring goals than the quality of the finishing.

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They say that strikers should be concerned not when they are missing are chances but when chances are not coming their way in the first place. That adage rings true. Chances are a better indicator of goals than the quality of the finisher is.

All this brings me to Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, the top goalscorer in the Premier League as I write, but a player that is not a good finisher. Those who are lazy in their analysis will claim that Aubameyang is a clinical, ruthless goalscorer. They will say things like, ‘one chance and he will score.’

However, that isn’t true. The Arsenal striker is not clinical. He is actually more like Sterling in the World Cup. Wasteful. Loose. Frustrating.

But, like Sterling in the World Cup, actually, that isn’t a problem. Yes, it would be nice to see him finish chances with greater regularity and consistency. And yes, it can be infuriating to see him miss several clear-cut opportunities that many other strikers would routinely put away. But he is still one of the best goalscorers in world football.

Take the New Year’s Day match against Fulham, for instance. Aubameyang scored with a deflected strike in the closing stages. Prior to that, though, he missed an excellent opportunity in the first 90 seconds, teed up by a low Sead Kolasinac cross, and then failed to convert at the far post from a matter of yards out later in the first half, although this was ruled out for offside, not that Aubameyang knew that.

Those instances are proof of his poor finishing. If you were to watch Arsenal’s matches throughout the year, you would find plenty more. You would not have to look very hard. But such is the quality of his movement, the awareness of his play, his anticipation, pace and intelligence, that he creates chances for himself at a rate that dictate his goalscoring. The high number of chances — and their quality. Most of Aubameyang’s shots come from inside the penalty area and even six-yard box — demands the high number of goals.

Aubameyang, like Sterling, is not a good finisher. But that’s quite alright, but he is a truly great goalscorer. Oh, and just in case you were wondering, Sterling has nine league goals this year as well.