Arsenal: 4 major positives from 4-1 Leeds win

2. Aubameyang Absence Not Felt At All

The most complete performance under Arteta came just previously against West Ham, and the most dangerous attacking half of football came in against Leeds on Saturday.

Those performances haven’t come specifically because Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang hasn’t been playing, but they’ve shown how capable this young team is of operating without him.

Most of all, his omission has presented Martinelli with the minutes he’s earning. If Aubameyang was up top it’s more likely that Smith Rowe starts on the left and then there are various knock-on effects, and as James McNicholas noted, Arteta is no longer Aubameyang’s biggest concern; Martinelli is.

Lacazette has been excellent up top and is, profile-wise, near enough as close to the ideal centre-forward for this particular set of young attacking players. He is the foil to let all of their better qualities sing, even if he can, and should, still be upgraded on.

Aside from the tactical side of matters, purely from a mental standpoint this group are completely undeterred by the noise around the club and have proven themselves to be exceptional professionals despite it. Beating Southampton, West Ham and Leeds in the matches since the captaincy drama, scoring nine goals and conceding just once, is the sign of a team united and unflustered.

Whether or not Aubameyang has a future at Arsenal, he’s not getting back in this team.

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