Arsenal: One happy solution to the Nicolas Pepe, Bukayo Saka dilemma

Arsenal’s attack may be in a dilemma, but there’s a happy solution that sees all parties appeased, including Nicolas Pepe and Bukayo Saka.

Eddie Nketiah‘s red card isn’t the only thing that has disrupted the rhythm of the Arsenal attack. Although calling the other “dilemma” a disruption seems like a serious misnomer, as it’s more of a boon than anything—how to start Nicolas Pepe and Bukayo Saka.

Our two best attackers both currently play the same position and the more they play, the better they get. But as the saying goes, you can only play one guy at a position. That’s not really a saying, but oh well.

Since Nketiah is out, Alexandre Lacazette is the defacto starting striker, but he was off the mark yet again against Leicester City and my big question is can we really not do any better? Because I have the sneaking suspicion we can.

I know that Arteta has yet to use Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang as a striker, but if he were to make his first foray into that decision, I think he’d like what he finds.

By releasing Aubameyang to play up front, he would also free up Saka to play on the left wing, where he is more comfortable, and Nicolas Pepe to play on the right wing, where he belongs, as he is our most reliable goal producer.

Think about that for a second. Kieran Tierney overlapping with Bukayo Saka on the left and Nicolas Pepe combining with Hector Bellerin on the right, with Aubameyang’s speed and precision through the middle.

I hadn’t even considered it until I was rolling out the predicted starting XI. Aubameyang has become such a fixture on the left side that moving him seemed out of the question. But in this situation, the situation makes perfect sense. It’s the best this attack can be at the moment and it may prove to be the best this attack can be period.

We’ve never seen it, after all.

Maybe it’s just my disenchantment of Alexandre Lacazette speaking, but I don’t see what we lose by shifting around the attack to fit this trifecta of attacking genius. These are our three best attackers, why not start them all?

The only potential downfall is Aubameyang not having as much space to roam, but maybe then he can target his efforts more specifically at goal. I’m just drooling over the prospect of these three in the same front three.