HE’S AUBA THE HUMP
Arteta backs misfiring Gunners skipper to find form and lead club up the table
MIKEL ARTETA believes Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is now “very close” to rediscovering his best form for Arsenal.
The Gunners captain has endured a frustrating season with just three goals in 16 Premier League games.
But manager Arteta reckons he can see signs that the Gunners’ talisman and former Golden Boot winner is returning to his goalscoring ways.
Aubameyang did score against Newcastle in the FA Cup, but has netted just twice in the league since penning a mega new £250,000-a-week contract in September.
Arteta said: “He’s very close. He’s better than he was a few weeks ago and looks in a better place even emotionally.
“He was criticised when the team was not winning and it was hard for him, but now a lot of things are in a better place.
“There’s only one way to get form back, which is to keep looking after yourself, keep the motivation level, keep the spirit of the team high. It’s why he is captain of the club and why he is involved.
“He’s working hard. He scored a few days ago against Newcastle, he could have scored against Crystal Palace on Thursday, and I’m sure he will score again.
“He’s always got a positive attitude, a smile, good banter.
Auba has a charisma and he can handle this sort of situation.”
Arsenal desperately need Aubameyang goals to get their season firing again as they struggle amid a punishing fixture schedule, with Kieran Tierney a doubt after a calf injury and Pablo Mari definitely out of tonight’s game.
But Arteta warned that many sides will find the fixture pile-up difficult to manage, especially because the big clubs were voted down when it came to reintroducing five substitutes for this season.
He said: “The reality is that the fixtures are what they are and we didn’t have a pre-season, which is one of the reasons we wanted the five subs.
“But this is the consequence and this will happen more and more, and to more clubs. We will have to make changes but, when you are winning, you want to be in the team.
“When someone is doing well, you don’t want to take him out. The players want to continue to play because they can’t see the bigger picture but it’s our responsibility to protect them.
“We could have taken a big risk with Kieran against Palace and it wasn’t the right one to take because we could have exposed him big time.”
Arteta has also praised Granit Xhaka, who has come back from being sent off against Burnley last month to be a key part of the team.
He said: “Since Granit’s been back, he’s been phenomenal. He’s still young and one who can still evolve.”
But Arteta refused to discuss claims Alexandre Lacazette is set to leave after his relationship with Arteta became frosty.
The Frenchman has just 18 months left on his current deal with the Gunners and the club do not want the same scenario that’s seen Mesut Ozil just walk away.