Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang holds the key to Arsenal’s success against Everton
After enduring a difficult start to the season under new manager Unai Emery, Arsenal finally seem to have gotten their act together. The Gunners breathed life into their faltering Premier League campaign with three back-to-back victories over West Ham United, Cardiff City and Newcastle United. Although they haven’t been at the top of their game in the current season, the nine points are bound to boost the team’s morale.
The Gunners successfully carried that winning mentality to the Europa League and bagged all three points with a comprehensive 4-2 victory over Ukrainian side Vorskla on matchday one. Emery rotated his squad effectively and gave some of the fringe players a chance to prove their worth. While Rob Holding and Mohamed Elneny made starts after a long time, teenager Emile Smith Rowe was handed his competitive debut for the Gunners. Meanwhile, Eddie Nketiah featured in the matchday squad for the first time this season.
Arsenal dominated large quarters of the game against Newcastle last weekend and claimed all three points with a 2-1 victory. There were quite a few positives to take from that 2-1 victory, including the resurgence of Mesut Ozil and Granit Xhaka.
Ozil has looked uncomfortable since he shifted to the flanks from his natural position behind the striker and Xhaka has been poor with his ball retention, often squandering the ball away in dangerous areas of the pitch.
However, both Xhaka and Ozil found their feet in the last match. While Xhaka opened the scoring with a delightful curling free-kick, Ozil found the net with a calm left-foot finish. Xhaka looked even more effective after Lucas Torreira’s introduction and Ozil had his best game of the season so far. And the German took his newly-found form into the Europa League as he got his name on the scoresheet in the 4-2 victory.
Xhaka and Ozil’s return to form should solve most of Emery’s worries ahead of the game against Everton. However, Arsenal’s most potent weapon in the attacking third, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, holds the key to their success on Sunday.
The Gabonese international, who joined Arsenal for a fee of £60m, took some time to work his way into the season but the 29-year-old finally seems to have found his feet. Emery started the season with Aubameyang spearheading the attack but he did well by accommodating Alexandre Lacazette in the coming games and the two strikers have combined well up front.
Aubameyang scored Arsenal’s second goal in the 3-2 win over Cardiff City. Although he had a rather quiet game against Newcastle, he followed it up with a brace in the Europa League fixture. Not only did he look sharp with his dribbles but he was also clinical with his finishing.
He has looked more dangerous with Lacazette next to him and the duo must inspire the team to another victory in the Premier League on Sunday. Although Everton have played some impressive free-flowing football, they have been poor at the back and their unbeaten run in the Premier League was ended by West Ham last weekend. The Toffees have been hit hard by the absence of Michael Keane and Yerry Mina, forcing Marco Silva to go in with Mason Holgate and Kurt Zouma in the heart of the defence.
Read More:- Forget it Emery – Instead of selling, Arsenal must prioritize retaining this £42.4million at all costs
However, the pair had a bad day against West Ham and it could be difficult for them to get their act together against a potent Arsenal forward line. They have left far too many open spaces for the opposition to exploit at the back and the Gunners should be relishing the opportunity to play against a vulnerable defence, particularly with Aubameyang in form.
Having said that, Aubameyang could be the man who rips apart Everton’s defence to ensure Arsenal continue their winning streak.
