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Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang: 2019/20 Performances

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Hunta

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How come Dortmund played him as a striker and it was fine? They actually used his attributes and his lack of hold up play didn’t really matter. Arsenal are always looking to cover a players negatives instead of playing to his strengths.
 

Oxeki

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How come Dortmund played him as a striker and it was fine? They actually used his attributes and his lack of hold up play didn’t really matter. Arsenal are always looking to cover a players negatives instead of playing to his strengths.
Because in the bundesliga almost every team plays a high line and pressing game which suits Auba just fine.

At the PL you're not gonna get that space. Only way to play through packed defense is by playing intricate passes and by having a striker who can hold up and the ball and is decent at passing.
 

say yes

forum master baiter

One of the best pieces I’ve read in a while, and should be some good food for thought.

Basically, there’s a reason why Arteta is playing Aubameyang on the left: he’s a better player there.

I’m sure somebody will post the full article soon for those of you without a subscription (never seems to work for me), but until then - as a summary - when Auba plays out wide he:
- scores more;
- touches the ball more (including touches in the opposition box);
- dribbles more with a higher success rate;
- is far more defensively involved; and
- doesn’t need to link play as much, which is his big weakness.

Left forward is (for me at least) his best position. And if we do sell Lacazette this summer I hope that we replace him with another CF so we can keep Auba playing there.
 
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truth_hurts

but Holding’s hair transplant was painless
PEA spends too much time in his own half when playing on the wing. If we could structure a system that allows him to be more advanced then fine.

Our lack of ball retention and support from.midfield is more of a worry than Auba's hold up play to be. Our attack has so little cohesion.

We have Özil and Pepe drifting around usually 20 or more yards away from our striker, PEA being in not very dangerous positions and our CF isolated.
 

say yes

forum master baiter
PEA spends too much time in his own half when playing on the wing. If we could structure a system that allows him to be more advanced then fine.

Our lack of ball retention and support from.midfield is more of a worry than Auba's hold up play to be. Our attack has so little cohesion.

We have Özil and Pepe drifting around usually 20 or more yards away from our striker, PEA being in not very dangerous positions and our CF isolated.
How does that square with the fact that he has more touches of the ball in in the opposition box, and scores more goals, when playing on the left?
 

truth_hurts

but Holding’s hair transplant was painless
How does that square with the fact that he has more touches of the ball in in the opposition box, and scores more goals, when playing on the left?

Surprised by the first fact.

He's an elite goal scorer. He will get more touches full stop I'd have thought so it's all relative. I'd guess Pepe has the most touches in the opposition box? Auba on the wing is bad for our balance and him on the ball 50 metres from goal is a waste of his talents.

Do you like him being utilised out wide?
 

Oxeki

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What's the obsession with Auba playing in the left wing?

Our biggest problem IMO is the fact that our midfield create little or no chances. If can address that then next we can get a benzema-type CF who is decent at finishing and excellent at hold up play.

Salah is a better finisher than Firminho but it would be stupid to play Salah as a CF.

If Arteta can develop a system to keep Auba up the pitch (like what Conte did with hazard) it can keep Auba close to goal where he can do the most damage
 

say yes

forum master baiter
Surprised by the first fact.

He's an elite goal scorer. He will get more touches full stop I'd have thought so it's all relative. I'd guess Pepe has the most touches in the opposition box? Auba on the wing is bad for our balance and him on the ball 50 metres from goal is a waste of his talents.

Do you like him being utilised out wide?
Yeah I do tbh. The game has moved on from the days where your CF’s primary job was to score goals. It’s more valuable in the modern 433 system to have a player who can link the play and provide a focal point for the team instead. Aubameyang can’t do that.

The issue with Auba out wide isn’t that the position doesn’t suit him. The issue is that, even after Ronaldo, Messi, Salah, Sterling, Bale, Mane, Bale, Robben and Hazard, people still haven’t adjusted to the reality that the wide-forward is now often the primary goal-scoring threat in modern football.

Those stats speak for themselves. Auba scores more, is involved more, and has more touches in the opposition box when starting wide left. Arsenal’s results are better when he plays there too (which makes sense given he is just as much of a goal-threat, but we’ve got a more cohesive link player at CF).

What needs to change is not our formation, but the perception that there must be something wrong about your biggest goal threat tracking back out wide. The game has evolved. If even a dinosaur like Mourinho can appreciate that Auba is best out wide, I’m not sure why our fans are still so slow on the uptake.
 

truth_hurts

but Holding’s hair transplant was painless
Yeah I do tbh. The game has moved on from the days where your CF’s primary job was to score goals. It’s more valuable in the modern 433 system to have a player who can link the play and provide a focal point for the team instead. Aubameyang can’t do that.

The issue with Auba out wide isn’t that the position doesn’t suit him. The issue is that, even after Ronaldo, Messi, Salah, Sterling, Bale, Mane, Bale, Robben and Hazard, people still haven’t adjusted to the reality that the wide-forward is now often the primary goal-scoring threat in modern football.

Those stats speak for themselves. Auba scores more, is involved more, and has more touches in the opposition box when starting wide left. Arsenal’s results are better when he plays there too (which makes sense given he is just as much of a goal-threat, but we’ve got a more cohesive link player at CF).

What needs to change is not our formation, but the perception that there must be something wrong about your biggest goal threat tracking back out wide. The game has evolved. If even a dinosaur like Mourinho can appreciate that Auba is best out wide, I’m not sure why our fans are still so slow on the uptake.

I agree with your post in the main, but I think a wide forward needs to have more to their game than a cf. Every player you mentioned has ability on the ball and is able to dribble past defenders at pace. Auba can not. I'm not saying that wide forwards shouldn't work back, Pedro and Messi used to put in a shift for that great Barca team, it's that Auba out wide doesn't offer much to our play.
 

say yes

forum master baiter
I agree with your post in the main, but I think a wide forward needs to have more to their game than a cf. Every player you mentioned has ability on the ball and is able to dribble past defenders at pace. Auba can not. I'm not saying that wide forwards shouldn't work back, Pedro and Messi used to put in a shift for that great Barca team, it's that Auba out wide doesn't offer much to our play.
True. The thing so often left unspoken with Auba is that, for such an incredible goalscorer, he’s a really bad footballer. Can’t dribble, link play, create chances for others, anything. He’s “just” a very quick, elite goalscorer, with a capacity for hard-work. Don’t think he could ever be described as world-class, in any position, for that reason.

My contention is simply that a player with those attributes is better suited to being a wide forward in a 433 than its focal point at CF.
 

Oxeki

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True. The thing so often left unspoken with Auba is that, for such an incredible goalscorer, he’s a really bad footballer. Can’t dribble, link play, create chances for others, anything. He’s “just” a very quick, elite goalscorer, with a capacity for hard-work. Don’t think he could ever be described as world-class, in any position, for that reason.

My contention is simply that a player with those attributes is better suited to being a wide forward in a 433 than its focal point at CF.
Couldn't have said it better.

He's an elite goalscorer but lacks the skill on ball to really be at the very top bracket.

If Laca doesn't get his sh!t together before the summer, we need to bin him and get a better CF that can link up play. We also need a LB that can actually defend, so as to absolve Auba of defensive responsibility just as Ancellotti did for Ronaldo in 2013/2014.

But the key is our midfield. If our midfield start controlling games and creating chances, he'll be getting on the end of more chances. If our defense starts defending well, he won't need to come back and spend substantial periods in our half defending.
 

Toby

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What's the obsession with Auba playing in the left wing?

Our biggest problem IMO is the fact that our midfield create little or no chances.

Agree that this is the bigger issue; that wing argument is a bit misleading. Doesn't really matter where someone starts, but what he's supposed to do there and where and how he will move and keeping that in balance with the rest of the team's setup. Tuchel often used Auba on the right where he'd ghost around and suddenly pop up with his speed and it worked just fine.

It's about creating chances and coached attacking patterns more than where Auba starts in a line-up on paper.
 

Toby

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I think a wide forward needs to have more to their game than a cf.

Completely depends on their skill set and what you want them to do in a certain system. You mention pedro who's the epitome of a watercarrier balancing an attacking trio by e.g. providing width. Thomas Muller is the epitome of absolutely skill-less, yet in form and used in the right way according to the one actual skill he actually has - finding and stumbling space - he's a lethal wide forward.

I really don't think there's a classical or stereotypical wide man. It depends on what you have at your disposal, if you can use that while maintaining balance throughout the fielded team or if you think it's rather to the detriment of the team.
 

truth_hurts

but Holding’s hair transplant was painless
Completely depends on their skill set and what you want them to do in a certain system. You mention pedro who's the epitome of a watercarrier balancing an attacking trio by e.g. providing width. Thomas Muller is the epitome of absolutely skill-less, yet in form and used in the right way according to the one actual skill he actually has - finding and stumbling space - he's a lethal wide forward.

I really don't think there's a classical or stereotypical wide man. It depends on what you have at your disposal, if you can use that while maintaining balance throughout the fielded team or if you think it's rather to the detriment of the team.

There isn't in the modern era. Pedro has/had intelligent movement and is a good finisher, his technique looked average at Barca, but it doesn't at Chelsea. Muller has a great touch and like you alluded to is a master at finding space.

You are right though, neither is skilled in dribbling past players.

I want to say that PEA offers a lot more than pace and goals, but he doesn't and just feel if he could utilise those skills at CF, we could have a far more balanced team. Is Vardy a better footballer than PEA? Not for me, yet Leicester have found a way to utilise their talisman's qualities.
 

Oxeki

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There isn't in the modern era. Pedro has/had intelligent movement and is a good finisher, his technique looked average at Barca, but it doesn't at Chelsea. Muller has a great touch and like you alluded to is a master at finding space.

You are right though, neither is skilled in dribbling past players.

I want to say that PEA offers a lot more than pace and goals, but he doesn't and just feel if he could utilise those skills at CF, we could have a far more balanced team. Is Vardy a better footballer than PEA? Not for me, yet Leicester have found a way to utilise their talisman's qualities.
Leicester plays a different system to us. They more direct. No use having a holdup play-ish striker.

Auba imo is better out wide. Unai and now Mikel has played him there. It's because he's better there. He's not physical enough to protect the ball against Huge CBs. But he's smart enough to exploit the space between the RB and the RCB and get on the end of chances
 

truth_hurts

but Holding’s hair transplant was painless
Leicester plays a different system to us. They more direct. No use having a holdup play-ish striker.

Auba imo is better out wide. Unai and now Mikel has played him there. It's because he's better there. He's not physical enough to protect the ball against Huge CBs. But he's smart enough to exploit the space between the RB and the RCB and get on the end of chances

For Dortmund no, us arguably. I don't get why we aren't much more direct as we actually have pacey options in attack for the first time since Gervinho, Ox and Theo etc. You've got Özil wanting to play, Pepe in his space wanting the ball all the time, Laca playing DM and Auba doing doggies on the left. It is odd!

I'm not Anti Auba as a wide forward, but it seems to kill our balance. As much as I liked Emery, the football wasn't great; it isn't with Arteta, yet Auba keeps scoring.

Think we can all agree that Auba is the only forward we have doung his job. After Auba, Martinelli and Saka are probably our next two most reliable outlets. Scary.
 

Toby

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Pedro has/had intelligent movement and is a good finisher, his technique looked average at Barca, but it doesn't at Chelsea.

pedro was the typical workhorse in there. Don't even think his movement stands out as e.g. Muller's does; he was just very good at doing what Guardiola told him to do, which was mostly to provide width and move a certain way. Ultimate system player almost. Looks useless out of that Barca team, though. Never really found his footing at Chelsea.

Muller has a great touch and like you alluded to is a master at finding space.

He's a master at finding space in dangerous areas, yes, but his touch is horrible. Absolutely horrible. Low and Heynckes got the best out of him, Guardiola struggled with that but eventually found a place for him, Ancelotti wanted more clearcut wing men on his flanks so Muller was on the outside and revolted, Kovac had his problems with fitting him in cause he also prefers more vertical wingers. It's all about what a player offers, what the manager prefers and if you can get those two together or not.

Regarding Auba I actually do think he can/does work for Arsenal as CF. I agree the team should play a more direct style but this needs more involvement from midfield. At Dortmund he was flanked by the highly productive Reus and Mkhi (in good form).

Anyway, I think Auba both works out wide and in the centre and the out of position discussion misses the target in his case as it's more about overall tactical setup than an individual player's profile - especially up front or in midfield.
 

Oxeki

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For Dortmund no, us arguably. I don't get why we aren't much more direct as we actually have pacey options in attack for the first time since Gervinho, Ox and Theo etc. You've got Özil wanting to play, Pepe in his space wanting the ball all the time, Laca playing DM and Auba doing doggies on the left. It is odd!

I'm not Anti Auba as a wide forward, but it seems to kill our balance. As much as I liked Emery, the football wasn't great; it isn't with Arteta, yet Auba keeps scoring.

Think we can all agree that Auba is the only forward we have doung his job. After Auba, Martinelli and Saka are probably our next two most reliable outlets. Scary.
The thing is these days Strikers are more involved in play than wingers.
Auba is not really good on the ball. That's the bitter truth. A lot of time he pissed me off with his poor touch and him loosing the ball after a pathetic attempt at a dribbling. It's like say Salah would would score more goals if he plays as a CF.

Auba is more or less like Ronaldo under Ancellotti at Real.

He was not involved in play. But but he was lethal when Madrid was on the front foot.

Playing Auba in the CF position would create more problems IMO.

He's by far our most productive attacker. But I don't think there's any reason to suggest that that his output will double if he starts playing in the middle
 
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