Arsenal: A confident Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is a unique weapon

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang looked confident again in Arsenal’s 3-0 win over Rennes on Thursday. When in that form, the striker is a unique weapon that few teams can claim to possess.

Strikers rely on confidence. That is especially true for goalscorers. You only have to look at the game logs for some of the best centre-forwards in the world. The goals come in patches. Peaks and troughs in form are natural, and they are present because of the importance of confidence.

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When strikers are playing well and scoring goals, they gain confidence, play better and score more. And the vice-versa is true. That is how the pattern emerges. For Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, he is just exiting a period of rather troubling form.

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Missing matches against Huddersfield Town and Cardiff City and then returning a team rallying around Alexandre Lacazette, Aubameyang missed a critical penalty against Spurs in the North London Derby and then struggled greatly against Rennes in the first leg five days later. The Arsenal centre-forward was beginning to flounder a little, his shoulders drooping that bit more, his head hanging that bit lower.

But on Sunday, it was telling that fellow striker Alexandre Lacazette handed the ball right into the gut of Aubameyang and thrust the responsibility of converting the penalty onto his shoulders — if there was anyone that understood the importance that confidence from a penalty would bring it is Lacazette, who was given a penalty by Aubameyang last year when he was struggling with confidence even though Aubameyang was on a hat-trick. Aubameyang scored that penalty. And on Thursday, in the second leg against Rennes, we all got to witness the benefits of the confidence it gave him.

What Aubameyang did in the 3-0 victory over Rennes may not have seemed like much. His two goals, after all, came from a combined seven yards out and were both tap-ins into empty goals. But that is the brilliance of his game, the simplicity of it. When Aubameyang is confident, his senses are heightened, his anticipation is that bit greater, the chances start flowing.

It would be easy to criticise him for fluffing two straightforward opportunities in the closing minutes, but it would be more concerning if those chances were not presenting themselves in the first place. The fact that Aubameyang is now getting into these positions is a sign of his growing inner-belief.

And when he is playing like he did on Thursday night, the Gabon centre-forward truly is a unique weapon. He may not be the best hold-up striker. He may have awkward touches at times and not be the smoothest dribbler. He may lack consistent and creative passing. But he is a world-class goalscorer, and that is an invaluable skill.

Aubameyang is confident again. And that spells trouble for everyone that Arsenal will play.