Arsenal Vs Watford: The value of goalscorers

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored the only goal in Arsenal’s 1-0 smash-and-grab win over Watford. It was the perfect illustration of the value of goalscorers.

Arsenal have poured resources into their strikers. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette are the two club record transfers, the former arriving just six months after the first and breaking the record again, they are both among the highest-paid players, and they start the majority of matches.

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I have written about the shortcomings of building a squad in such a manner. The isolation that they can suffer from, the lack of support that is required from the midfield and defence, the over-reliance on two players that can be completely undermined with one bad injury. But there is also value in having two of the league’s best goalscorers, and it was on full show against Watford on Monday night.

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Arsenal won the game 1-0. They did not deserve to. Quite frankly, they would have been lucky to come away with a point, especially if Troy Deeney had not been banished in the 11th minute thanks to a stray elbow on Lucas Torreira. But they went home with three precious points in their back pocket and took a huge step towards a top-four finish. And it was almost all because Aubameyang chased won Ben Foster and blocked an errant clearance into an empty net.

Aubameyang was asked about the goal by Sky Sports after the match:

"“I was confident, it’s a long time that I want to score a goal like this, and tonight it went through, so I was confident, because normally keepers don’t know if you’re coming back to them, and tonight it was a good goal, for me, I like it.”"

This is what world-class goalscorers provide you. Aubameyang sniffed out the opportunity to score. And he seized it without hesitation. It may have seemed fortunate. And to a large extent, it was. But the goal would never have happened if it wasn’t for Aubameyang’s anticipation and industry in the first place.

He is a natural goalscorer. As the old saying goes, ‘he knows where the goal is’. His 18 league goals this season is proof that, despite playing a string of matches out wide or on the bench to accommodate Lacazette. That is proof of his goalscoring nous. And, on Monday, it rescued his team.

This is where goalscorers come into their own. Games do not need to be well controlled for their presence to be effective. They can contribute in an instant, just as Aubameyang did here. Aubameyang had just 35 touches of the ball. Matteo Guendouzi, who played a third of the time, had just two fewer. And yet, it was Aubameyang that provided the key moment of the match. And that is precisely what goalscorers can do.

Arsenal did not deserve to beat Watford. But they did. And they have Aubameyang to thank. That is the true value of goalscorers.