Arsenal Vs Everton: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang utterly unique

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang put in one of the best individual performances of the season in Arsenal’s 3-2 win over Everton. The attacker is utterly unique, leading by example in every sense.

Goalscorers are wonderful, almost mystical beings. There is a reason they are the most expensive players in the world. They are the hardest to find, and when you have one, you should thank your lucky stars that you get to start them each week. Arsenal should be doing just that and so much more.

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In Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, the Gunners have one of the best goalscorers in world football. After notching two more beautiful strikes in Sunday’s 3-2 win over Everton, Aubameyang now has 17 Premier League goals on the season, equal with Jamie Vardy for the most in the league. Since he arrived in north London in January 2018, no player has scored more goals than the Gabonese centre-forward.

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And yet, while his statistics are astounding and his goals make him an invaluable piece of the team, what makes Aubameyang a truly unique player is not his making the net ripple, but rather the manner in which he plays.

Under new head coach Mikel Arteta, Aubameyang, as club captain no less, has been shunted out to the left flank. His role has changed. Yes, he is still in the team to score goals and his prolific nature is why he is a crucial part of the entire system, but Arteta demands more from his star player than just goals. And Aubameyang, unlike many other goal-orientated attackers who act like prima donnas whenever they are asked to work hard for the team, has responded in the most wonderful way.

In his post-match press conference on Sunday, Arteta explained how Aubameyang has dutifully followed his instruction:

"“I had two questions [about Auba’s attitude to defending]. One was whether he wanted to do it, or could he not do it physically? So once I found out that physically he could do it, it was about convincing him to do it and that he can do it every three days. He’s showing that.”"

The Spaniard was then asked how he has coaxed out this level of performance and commitment from Aubameyang:

"“It’s a combination of many things, but he needs to feel fulfilled. When he does that, we show our appreciation also of what he’s doing. He could just say ‘I scored the goals, I don’t need to do it’ but unfortunately we’re not that good that we can allow a few players not to [work hard].”"

On Sunday, Aubameyang brilliantly displayed the gritty side of his game. He supported young Bukayo Saka in defensive moments, he pressed, he tracked runners, he inspired his team with his leadership, both by action and words. He was the leading character and player in the match because of his attitude and application. The goals were simply the result of his hard work.

Aubameyang attempted eight duels on Sunday. He won six of them. Such numbers are unheard of for offensive players. And yet, this is the type of defensive work that he gets through in each and every match he plays. He could be dreaming of playing centre-forward, but instead, he is rolling his sleeves up and sliding into challenges to block crosses in his own defensive third.

Aubameyang is an elite goalscorer. He is a world-class footballer, whatever that means in this day and age. But he is also a committed teammate, inspirational leader, and tremendous character. He is utterly unique.