Arsenal: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has one clear task

Arsenal are without Alexandre Lacazette until October, so Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s to-do list just became one thing and one thing only.

Arsenal‘s biggest strength just got weaker. No matter what state the midfield or defense has been in over the past two years, they have always been able to count on that incredible attack, spearheaded by the inseparable striking duo of Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

It was a seamless partnership. Aubameyang scored the goals, found the space; and Lacazette did most of the other things.

Now, Lacazette will be out of commission until next month, which is woefully disheartening. The French striker is our best player, he’s the reigning player of the season, and you can’t just pretend like he isn’t there anymore.

That said, if we turn our attention to Aubameyang and his list of things to do in the wake of his dear friend’s injury, I see just one big thing—mitigate the loss of Lacazette.

Make it less obvious that Lacazette is gone.

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Make it seem like everything is okay.

However you want to spin it, the task is the same. We need Aubameyang to play strong throughout Lacazette’s absence and not do that thing he did at times last year, where he disappeared at times and wasn’t as prevalent as we needed him to be.

Aubameyang is a superstar for one reason—he scores goals. But through his time at the Emirates alongside Lacazette, we’ve seen steady improvement in his ball handling and his willingness to go above and beyond. To the point that I honestly felt he was within range to start challenging Lacazette as the best man on the team.

Aubameyang will be moving from left wing up top where he will be the lone striker. This won’t be like when he was the loan striker last year, surrounded by wingers who weren’t wingers. This time around, he will have actual wingers with actual speed and precision to keep Aubameyang in the match and engaged at all times.

Which, to me, is the most important part of this part of the season. Aubameyang has the assistance he needs without Lacazette, so there’s no reason to think he can’t do the one thing he has to do on his chore list.

It’s just another one of those moments when we have to be thrilled that we have two elite strikers and not just one. Things were very different not so long ago.