Arsenal Vs Burnley: 5 key players to watch – Nicolas Pepe under pressure

Arsenal, Nicolas Pepe (Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images)
Arsenal, Nicolas Pepe (Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images) /
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Arsenal, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
BOURNEMOUTH, ENGLAND – DECEMBER 26: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang of Arsenal celebrates after scoring his team’s first goal during the Premier League match between AFC Bournemouth and Arsenal FC at Vitality Stadium on December 26, 2019 in Bournemouth, United Kingdom. (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images) /

3. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang

After three matches missed due to suspension, Arsenal’s top goalscorer returns. And boy do they need him.

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One of the problems of the Mikel Arteta era to this point has been scoring goals. The Gunners have only scored more than one goal in three games and have failed to score more than two in any of their eight matches under Arteta’s guidance. And one of those two-goal performances came in the 2-2 draw with Chelsea in which they scored from their only two shots of the entire match.

While there have been plenty of positives to the collective performance of the team, creating chances and scoring goals has been a problem. So the return of the top goalscorer on the season, someone who has notched 14 goals in 1946 Premier League minutes, is only going to be helpful.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang will likely start off the left flank, but he will be afforded the freedom to drift inside, dart in behind, and threaten the Burnley goal in doing so. While he may not be playing through the middle per se, Arteta has shown a desire to get his wingers into scoring opportunities. And few are better than Aubameyang at manoeuvring themselves into space.