Aubameyang signs new long-term contract: Page 10 - The Arsenal discussion community: One More in the Tolly

Aubameyang signs new long-term contract

Claudius

Quincy Abeyie wrote:
Claudius wrote:
Okay, Coombs. Good strikers score 20 - 25% of the chances that they get. Aubameyang is getting 1,8 shots per game. How many goals per game do you expect him to score of that? Our team generates about 8 shots total per game. We know what makes Aubameyang elite is his off the ball movement and finishing. He's not going to dribble through 2 or 3 guys like Henry and create his own shot.

Not that I have a particularly strong opinion in this specific case, but your argument seems to assume that strikers don't have anything to do with getting those chances.

We aren't talking hypothetically. You watch the team. The ball doesn't get forward. This Wolves game was an exception as it was the first time we move the ball got forward because Wolves basically fell back, packed the box and ceded the wings to us, letting us spend some 30 wayward crosses. But typically, we have very little possession and territory. So, no, there is very little he can do in most games.

goon

We had nearly 60% of the ball against the likes of Leicester and Villa and, as you say, against Wolves.

He's definitely looked a little Lacazette-ish in the last few games. Against Wolves in particular he seemed to have no enthusiasm at all in terms of getting to the ball before his marker. He's waiting for the ball to get to him instead of meeting it. I asked in the EL game why our crosses are so bad but one of the main reasons they look so awful half the time is because you often have just one or two very stationary players in the box.

I put it down to a severe lack of confidence, both in himself and in the team's ability to get the ball to him. It's understandable, but if creativity is lacking we need him more than ever to make average crosses and passes from his temmates into good ones.

Shady

He kicks the ball like he's carrying an injury.

Meatwad

he goes for headers like he's thinking about potential head injuries.

Coombs

Claudius wrote:
Okay, Coombs. Good strikers score 20 - 25% of the chances that they get. Aubameyang is getting 1,8 shots per game. How many goals per game do you expect him to score of that? Our team generates about 8 shots total per game. We know what makes Aubameyang elite is his off the ball movement and finishing. He's not going to dribble through 2 or 3 guys like Henry and create his own shot.

So taking all that into account, we really do need to look behind him and question why the structure is not generating enough chances. Wenger consistently made 12-15 chances. Does Aubameyang look a little down? Yeah, but so does the whole frontline. Wouldn't you be if Xhaka was sending the ball in a crescent all game long while you ran around aimlessly all top?

Chance creation is a two-way street. I've watched him with my own eyes fail to register a "chance" in almost every game when he could have moved a bit quicker, made a better run, or taken a shot instead of laying it off. If he's an elite finisher with great off the ball movement, why is he never available for his teammates when they have the ball in and around the box? Watch him, he always keeps a defender between himself and the ball. It's his own fault as much as his teammates, and it doesn't look at all like he's playing to any kind of instruction.

He looks worn, tired, and unfortunately, disinterested. Arteta needs to get him going, but at the same time he's just begged him to sign a new contract and there are so many other problems that it seems politically crazy to call out Auba, as far as the dressing room is concerned.

Big players have big moments, they can be the heart and soul of the team, but they can also make big problems as we know better than most. If I were Arteta, I'd probably be trying to get at him obliquely by giving him someone to play off of, which is exactly what he's done with Willock.

Sadly, it hasn't really worked. I'd put him back on the left and play 2 LBs so he doesn't have to track back much. Go back to a 343/442, and just grind out PL games until next season. Changing to a 4231 was a rookie mistake that a fan would make. Let's focus on structure, workrate, and playing out from the back again.

Claudius

goon wrote:
We had nearly 60% of the ball against the likes of Leicester and Villa and, as you say, against Wolves.

He's definitely looked a little Lacazette-ish in the last few games. Against Wolves in particular he seemed to have no enthusiasm at all in terms of getting to the ball before his marker. He's waiting for the ball to get to him instead of meeting it. I asked in the EL game why our crosses are so bad but one of the main reasons they look so awful half the time is because you often have just one or two very stationary players in the box.

I put it down to a severe lack of confidence, both in himself and in the team's ability to get the ball to him. It's understandable, but if creativity is lacking we need him more than ever to make average crosses and passes from his temmates into good ones.

Goon, we had ball possession but we didn't have territory. This game was the first time we had territory. And we wasted it. It was all down the sides and over the strikers. And the changes were more of the same. Nelson to also go down the side and send the ball over. What we needed was Xhaka off and Nelson in the centre so that Saka and Willian could find him to link into Aubameyang. Or something. Just some variety to move the defenders around a bit. Watch teams like City and Atalanta. They move defenders out of their zones and teleport into the vacated spaces. Peak Wenger did that really well also.

Coombs

Playing without CMs isn't going to make us better at attacking through the middle.

Claudius

we were playing without a CM as it is. Xhaka is CM and not a CM at the same time. as I've pointed out before, he simply drags the entire team back, and often just plays as a third defender. You've seen same from Clrnc's tweets. The problem is when Xhaka receives the ball in his reserved position, the person he should be passing forward to is not there: an alternate version of a better Xhaka. And by not being in that alternate advanced position, Xhaka denies us the very network node that would better link Aubameyang and Willock.

And to add insult to injury, he's running around taking the ball off our players and passing it backwards. Take him off, and put in another player. The defenders will use the balls he would've received more productively, and the presence of someone in a more advanced position will make us more progressive.

goon

Claudius wrote:
goon wrote:
We had nearly 60% of the ball against the likes of Leicester and Villa and, as you say, against Wolves.

He's definitely looked a little Lacazette-ish in the last few games. Against Wolves in particular he seemed to have no enthusiasm at all in terms of getting to the ball before his marker. He's waiting for the ball to get to him instead of meeting it. I asked in the EL game why our crosses are so bad but one of the main reasons they look so awful half the time is because you often have just one or two very stationary players in the box.

I put it down to a severe lack of confidence, both in himself and in the team's ability to get the ball to him. It's understandable, but if creativity is lacking we need him more than ever to make average crosses and passes from his temmates into good ones.

Goon, we had ball possession but we didn't have territory. This game was the first time we had territory. And we wasted it. It was all down the sides and over the strikers. And the changes were more of the same. Nelson to also go down the side and send the ball over. What we needed was Xhaka off and Nelson in the centre so that Saka and Willian could find him to link into Aubameyang. Or something. Just some variety to move the defenders around a bit. Watch teams like City and Atalanta. They move defenders out of their zones and teleport into the vacated spaces. Peak Wenger did that really well also.

Wolves are a really organised side. You mention City but they have had plenty of bad results against them despite being much, much better than us.

It's not easy to break these sides down and personally I don't think there's a magical tactical switch to do it either. You just need quality for the few openings you create, one of Saka, Auba, Holding or Nelson should have done it, and that's ignoring opportunites missed from a lack of runs made into the middle.

Villa was a shit show but had plenty of territory against Leicester in the first half and got the ball into space in the final third a few times. Again, the quality was missing.

Gazza M

goon wrote:
We had nearly 60% of the ball against the likes of Leicester and Villa and, as you say, against Wolves.

He's definitely looked a little Lacazette-ish in the last few games. Against Wolves in particular he seemed to have no enthusiasm at all in terms of getting to the ball before his marker. He's waiting for the ball to get to him instead of meeting it. I asked in the EL game why our crosses are so bad but one of the main reasons they look so awful half the time is because you often have just one or two very stationary players in the box.

I put it down to a severe lack of confidence, both in himself and in the team's ability to get the ball to him. It's understandable, but if creativity is lacking we need him more than ever to make average crosses and passes from his temmates into good ones.

Agree with all this. Auba is a world class player, and the reason he has scored so many goals despite a famine of chances coming his way is because he showed a consistent appetite to intelligently attack space. That has completely disappeared from his game, and we can't sit here and claim he's forgotten how to it. He's clearly phoning it in, and to me, its unacceptable regardless of the state of the team or the tactical struggles of the coach

Clrnc

Won't read too much into Auba yet. I think we have to solve the way we attack before bringing his attitude into play. Not convinced he's packing it in, at least not as obvious as Ozil

DavidSmith

I've worried he's done an Ozil. Effort levels since signing his contract has not been right. After lockdown last season he was busting a gut to get on the end of crosses. Lately I've seen great crosses delivered into the box at all heights and he practically stands there ball watching, not attacking them with any vigor. The signs are ominous.

Sicario

Just watched this guy hide for 45 mins.

Shocking.

Bring Back Kerrea Gilbert

Should have followed that idiot Troopz - his best mate - to America.

HomeSteak

We need to drop him for a few weeks. But who do we play?

KurtEisner

HomeSteak wrote:
We need to drop him for a few weeks. But who do we play?

Nketiah. He hasn't been great in his limited appearances, but I feel that this is the time to give him a chance. We desperately need goals, scoring them is what he's best at and his competition in the form of Aubameyang has been shit for a while now.

Bring Back Kerrea Gilbert

Yep, I'm all in on Eddie and Folarin now.

The old men are a sorry sight.

Jed

Would’ve started Balogun instead. He might be a kid but he wouldn’t have hid like our ‘captain’.

Sicario

Jed wrote:
Would’ve started Balogun instead. He might be a kid but he wouldn’t have hid like our ‘captain’.

Agreed

Sicario

Wonder what Klaus views are on so-called world class Auba now?

When all of you were wanking over him last year I always said he wasn’t world class. Can’t compare him to Kane or Son.

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