Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang: From Thriller To Bad, Should He Just Beat It?

[Tir Na Nog]

He's scored a lot of goals for us from the wing, tbf...the issue is getting the right players around him, if he plays there.

For example...If you play Auba-Laca-Pepe, you can't play a back 4, it needs to be a back 3...none of them are great footballers and help in the build up play, plus neither Pierre or Nico are overly great in helping their fullback...so a 3-4-3 gives them more freddom to stay high up the pitch, were they are at their best.

Any back 4 formation with those 3 in it, will stuggle badly, as they just don't have the skillset to play their roles in this.

If you look at the underlying stats his xG was incredibly low when he was played on the wing even when he was scoring, he was scoring at a rate he simply wasn't going to keep up unless we started getting more chances however the opposite happened. You're essentially banking on him scoring from the few half-chances he gets, that's never gonna be sustainable, especially when you consider Auba is somewhat limited. Even worse in a game like yesterday where our game was so disjointed, couldn't keep the ball, couldn't fashion any real chances, Liverpool bypassing our press, being penned back. Absolutely pointless stuff.

 

[Makingtrax]

Who'd have thought when we signed one of the most prolific strikers in European football, that we'd end up shoving him to the left wing so the guy we wanted to him to replace could play CF over 3 years later. It just doesn't make sense. How can you use such an asset so horribly? Wenger brought him in, played him CF immediately and he was firing, even Emery had the common sense to play him up front or at least when he played alongside Laca it was in a 2 up top. Arteta has slowly drained the life out of Auba since he's taken over, at the start he was still scoring so the obvious issues were overlooked but slowly but surely the goals have faded and Auba has been struggling to rediscover his scoring form ever since. If you're not gonna play him as a CF then just don't play him at all.

Yep. And embarassing him in public over his misdemeanour was bad man management. Those things should be dealt with in house. The guy's been abysmal since then.

Every person is an individual and needs to be treated accordingly to get the best out of them. Old school 'one rule for all', Mike Bassett stuff belongs in a museum.

 

[AberGooner]

I don't see much change in his play from this season to last to be honest. The fact he scored so much goals last season is pretty amazing really considering he was stuck on the touchline miles away from the goal. The only difference was he was absolutely lethal with the few chances he was getting and this season he hasn't been. I can't remember him having a shot yesterday so what else can he really do to be honest? He's never going to be a creator and he's not someone who can really take people on. As has been said either play him top or not at all.

 

[Zaza]

Either play him up top or bench. Simple.

 

[Hunta]

2 more seasons of this rubbish to come.

After Özil and Aubameyang we need to bring back the one year extension limit to players over 30

 

[Football Manager]

Playing auba up top is the same. We are one man down in the build up.

We could have one more technical player in the team. Which would help getting us across the half way line, getting close to opponent box, break down the opponent defence, and creating chances after chances.

Having one of auba/laca/nketiah (or even worse, two of them) on the pitch, is making us unable to create any chance, we could barely get across the half way line.

 

[Riou]

If you look at the underlying stats his xG was incredibly low when he was played on the wing even when he was scoring, he was scoring at a rate he simply wasn't going to keep up unless we started getting more chances however the opposite happened. You're essentially banking on him scoring from the few half-chances he gets, that's never gonna be sustainable, especially when you consider Auba is somewhat limited. Even worse in a game like yesterday where our game was so disjointed, couldn't keep the ball, couldn't fashion any real chances, Liverpool bypassing our press, being penned back. Absolutely pointless stuff.

I think he can work outwide, but he should have played upfront yesterday just for the fact that we were playing on the counter and he is faster than Laca.

I feel a lot of what you say, can apply to Auba when he plays up front too...I feel his best position is on the left in a 3-4-3, keeps him close to the goal but away from duels with CBs.

But wherever Pierre plays, you have to carry him tbh.

 

[OSBK]

He simply isnt putting a shift, late on in the game he downed tools and trent ran riot. First and foremost you do the basics, the pool players ran for every second and challenged every ball. Our captain he is supposed to be?, he is a bottler.

You can argue that auba is as fast as salah, more stronger, maybe better on the ball. Salah has a winner desire and a fight that auba doesnt.

Last season he put in a shift, he needed to for his contract. Now he has his pension does he even care.

 

[GDeep™]

We never had overpaid and underperforming 30 plus guys under Wenger. Stacked with them now.

 

[Football Manager]

He simply isnt putting a shift, late on in the game he downed tools and trent ran riot. First and foremost you do the basics, the pool players ran for every second and challenged every ball. Our captain he is supposed to be?, he is a bottler.

You can argue that auba is as fast as salah, more stronger, maybe better on the ball. Salah has a winner desire and a fight that auba doesnt.

Last season he put in a shift, he needed to for his contract. Now he has his pension does he even care.

Better on the ball?

 

[Football Manager]

I don't see much change in his play from this season to last to be honest. The fact he scored so much goals last season is pretty amazing really considering he was stuck on the touchline miles away from the goal. The only difference was he was absolutely lethal with the few chances he was getting and this season he hasn't been. I can't remember him having a shot yesterday so what else can he really do to be honest? He's never going to be a creator and he's not someone who can really take people on. As has been said either play him top or not at all.

Then we should have never signed him. I have always been against the signing of this type of players.

As for now, we should replace him with a creator, someone who can really take people on. Playing him up top will not get things improved significantly, not having him on the pitch will.

 

[hydrofluoric acid]

We never had overpaid and underperforming 30 plus guys under Wenger. Stacked with them now.

Yeah at 32 I would have thought the player should get a contract with a pay-cut and reduced role in the team. But maybe with all the sport science, teams have more hope that players can go on for longer.

 

[OSBK]

Better on the ball?

I did put maybe better on the ball btw

 

[AberGooner]

Then we should have never signed him. I have always been against the signing of this type of players.

As for now, we should replace him with a creator, someone who can really take people on. Playing him up top will not get things improved significantly, not having him on the pitch will.

He's scored 84 goals for us in just over 3 years, of course we should have signed him. In terms of goalscorers there's not many better. The problem is asking a centre forward to become a winger at 30 years of age. Why would you want to take someone like that and play him further away from the goal?

The easiest comparison to make is Jamie Vardy. There's not much he can do that Auba can't do just as well but Leicester have had coaches who play him to his strengths.

 

[Football Manager]

I did put maybe better on the ball btw

Salah is great on the ball.
Auba is like walcott, if I have to rate his ability on the ball it will be 0/10. Maybe 1/10, if you considered I should give to some defenders/GK.
So there’s no maybe in the comparison.

 

[Football Manager]

He's scored 84 goals for us in just over 3 years, of course we should have signed him. In terms of goalscorers there's not many better. The problem is asking a centre forward to become a winger at 30 years of age. Why would you want to take someone like that and play him further away from the goal?

The easiest comparison to make is Jamie Vardy. There's not much he can do that Auba can't do just as well but Leicester have had coaches who play him to his strengths.

Read the last 2 pages again.
It’s not about scoring goals. It’s about him not able to contribute other than scoring.

Replacing him with a good footballer will have us able to cross the half way line yesterday. We would able to get closer to the opponent box, able to create chances.

There are so many things he can do over the 90 mins, but this type of players will be useless for the whole time. Just focusing on the few seconds when he is in front of goal. Useless player.

 

[GDeep™]

Yeah at 32 I would have thought the player should get a contract with a pay-cut and reduced role in the team. But maybe with all the sport science, teams have more hope that players can go on for longer.

You build a team around him to get the best out of him if you’re giving him such a contract.

There have been games, many games where Auba has had no service at all.

 

[AberGooner]

Read the last 2 pages again.
It’s not about scoring goals. It’s about him not able to contribute other than scoring.

He ain't going to contribute much from the LW then if that's what your expecting. We didn't just find that out yesterday. Considering we've got him for another 2 years anyway, play him up front and there's a decent chance he'll get 20 a season.

 

[OSBK]

Salah is great on the ball.
Auba is like walcott, if I have to rate his ability on the ball it will be 0/10. Maybe 1/10, if you considered I should give to some defenders/GK.
So there’s no maybe in the comparison.

Mane is great on the ball, salah doesnt even come close to that. Salah goal came from a poor touch than gab read wrong and dived in and then it was easy for salah. I would guess if you picked 50 random goals from each player they would be very similar.

Salah is very similar to auba but salah is willing to run through brick walls for his team. That attitude and desire that salah has is what makes him a winner and why he is overall better than auba.

 

[dashsnow17]

Who'd have thought when we signed one of the most prolific strikers in European football, that we'd end up shoving him to the left wing so the guy we wanted to him to replace could play CF over 3 years later. It just doesn't make sense. How can you use such an asset so horribly? Wenger brought him in, played him CF immediately and he was firing, even Emery had the common sense to play him up front or at least when he played alongside Laca it was in a 2 up top. Arteta has slowly drained the life out of Auba since he's taken over, at the start he was still scoring so the obvious issues were overlooked but slowly but surely the goals have faded and Auba has been struggling to rediscover his scoring form ever since. If you're not gonna play him as a CF then just don't play him at all.

There's a case to sack Arteta just for not getting the best out of Auba tbh. He has 2 years on his deal, we can't get rid f him. You have to get the best out of him, simple as that. Ultimately coaches are more replaceable than players, if a different coach got more out of Auba on the pitch and had a better working relationship with him (cos I sense Arteta isn't a fan of him tbh) he could score another 50 goals for Arsenal. 50 goals is worth more than whatever value Arteta adds.

If the philosophy of the coach means that the highest paid player and best goal scorer doesn't suit that style, then change the coach.