Time to lead your team
With just ten Premier League goals, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was a long way off from his best form last season due to various factors, including injuries and off-field problems. The Gunners only finished eighth last season following a series of underwhelming performances and it’s surely no coincidence that Arsenal’s poor campaign was linked to the decline in the Gabon international’s form. After all, their skipper has been their leading talisman since he arrived in January 2018.
The early signs are good this season for the striker: Aubameyang scored a hat-trick in a Carabao Cup tie against West Brom and also netted the winner in his side’s 1-0 victory over Norwich in the Premier League.
Current Standings
According to today’s football predictions, Arsenal are ninth favourites with odds of 200/1 to take the Premier League title. Meanwhile, in other markets, Mikel Arteta is flagged as the 1/1 odds-on favourite to be the next manager to leave his post. Arteta’s received tonnes of critique from punters and pundits alike, with his leadership style under attack. However, if he’s able to get his side performing well again and able to encourage Aubameyang’s return to glory, Arteta could very well perform the underdog turn of the decade.
Smith Rowe can help provide support
When is a 10 not a 10?
One of Arsenal’s standout players in the early stages of the 2021/2022 campaign has been Emile Smith Rowe, who looks very dangerous going forward. The expectation is that he should provide quality service to Aubameyang this season.
Aubameyang’s a versatile and adaptable striker who can create chances out of nothing. His pace is one of his biggest strengths, though he’s also regarded as a great finisher and as long as the qualities of the passes into him are good, he’s guaranteed to score lots of goals. Smith Rowe, Pepe, Kieran Tierney and Martin Odegaard are all capable of finding the Gunners striker with good deliveries.
Smith Rowe, in particular, has been very bright and creative over the opening four matches of the season and should continue to grow in the team with experience. The new Arsenal number 10 is playing with confidence and has the full support of his manager. The general feeling is that it may not be long before Smith Rowe breaks into the England senior team. He’s represented his country at previous levels and so his primary objective moving forward will be to get selected for Gareth Southgate’s squad before the World Cup in 2022.
No European Football this season for Aubameyang
Failing to qualify for European football last season was an obvious blow for Arsenal, however, it means Aubameyang can concentrate on domestic action. Playing on a Thursday evening ahead of a Premier League tie at the weekend wasn’t ideal preparation last season.
Aubameyang will want to be regarded among the leading scorers in the Premier League this year and there’s sure to be strong competition with Cristiano Ronaldo, Romelu Lukaku, Mohamed Salah and Harry Kane all looking to be at the top end of the charts. The Arsenal man is the only one of those forwards who doesn’t have a chance at European football this season. Hopefully, this will ensure he remains fresher than his rivals in the latter stages of the campaign.
At the age of 32, Aubameyang still has plenty of time left to play at the highest level. For the first time in his career at Arsenal, he has critics questioning his game. It’s a big season for him but expect to see him silence the doubters and prove his class once again.
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