Arsenal: Scapegoating Aubameyang is completely unfair
Aubameyang was not to blame for Arsenal’s Europa League exit…
Having had a day to reflect, it simply doesn’t seem right that Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is going through the wars on social media. While there are some Arsenal fans that are defending him, and rightly so, there are others that won’t let his miss go.
The truth is, Aubameyang was the only player who gave Arsenal hope but it shouldn’t have been the case. Alexandre Lacazette was also on the pitch and he should have stepped up to the mark.
See, there is all this talk about Aubameyang’s miss which is simply reactionary. It’s unfair that Aubameyang is being used as the scapegoat when Lacazette’s miss was just as bad if not worse.
The ball fell to him, following a header from Shkodran Mustafi, and rather than choosing to use his feet he sort of flopped to the floor attempting an impossible header.
These things happen. Strikers are never perfect one hundred percent of the time. On another day, had the ball fallen to either Aubameyang or Lacazette, they would have finished their chances.
So, am I saying that instead of blaming Aubameyang, we should blame Lacazette? No, of course I’m not. That wouldn’t be productive at all.
Nicolas Pepe and Mesut Ozil, among countless others had poor games too. It was a collective effort. It wasn’t helped by the fact that Olympiacos played expertly over the two legs, either.
European competition is bound to produce moments like this. Arsenal fans know it all too well; let’s not forget Thierry Henry, Arsenal’s best player of all time, coughing in the Champions League final and Dennis Bergkamp not even travelling.
Arsenal are a great team with the core fundamentals in the right place. Investment in the summer transfer window and keeping ahold of their star players will serve them well in whichever European competition they end up in next season.
The way to keep ahold of your best players is not to berate them for one mistake which they are already harsh on themselves for. It’s time to move forward and focus on a high Premier League finish and FA Cup triumph. It’s not the end of the world.
Do you think the ridicule of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang by Arsenal and rival fans has been fair?
