Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang

[Angelito]

Do you guys think that he's going through the usual collapse some strikers experience when they start losing it?

I'm just asking. I'm not sure myself. It's starting to look like it. I really hope not. He's still the best finisher we have; well, used to.

His lack of form is similar to Torres/Falcao's downfall but those peeps suffered from serious injuries.

In his defense, he did have a troublesome time last year with his mom getting infected by Covid, and the malaria episode. I'm hoping last season was a blip, and he can go back to his scoring best this up-coming season.

*Fingers crossed*

[DiamondGooner]

Crap today.

What has happened to this guy, I've always liked Auba but he's been absent since last season, can't continue like this.

Not one goal from either Auba, Laca or Pepe, they need to sharpen up right quick.

[jayramfootball]

Do you guys think that he's going through the usual collapse some strikers experience when they start losing it?

I'm just asking. I'm not sure myself. It's starting to look like it. I really hope not. He's still the best finisher we have; well, used to.

His lack of form is similar to Torres/Falcao's downfall but those peeps suffered from serious injuries.

In his defense, he did have a troublesome time last year with his mom getting infected by Covid, and the malaria episode. I'm hoping last season was a blip, and he can go back to his scoring best this up-coming season.

*Fingers crossed*

He was terrible before he had a troubling time with his mum and malaria.
The one thing that is different so far in pre-season compared to last year is that he is getting into positions more often to score.

Missed chances in pre-season don't cost us points.
We can hope he shapes up in proper games.

That said he should be made to compete for his place like any other player.
Based on pre-season he's behind Laca, Pepe and Nketiah.

[Santi]

Do you guys think that he's going through the usual collapse some strikers experience when they start losing it?

I'm just asking. I'm not sure myself. It's starting to look like it. I really hope not. He's still the best finisher we have; well, used to.

His lack of form is similar to Torres/Falcao's downfall but those peeps suffered from serious injuries.

In his defense, he did have a troublesome time last year with his mom getting infected by Covid, and the malaria episode. I'm hoping last season was a blip, and he can go back to his scoring best this up-coming season.

*Fingers crossed*

I think he got a big contract and gave up on football

[DiamondGooner]

Do you guys think that he's going through the usual collapse some strikers experience when they start losing it?

I'm just asking. I'm not sure myself. It's starting to look like it. I really hope not. He's still the best finisher we have; well, used to.

His lack of form is similar to Torres/Falcao's downfall but those peeps suffered from serious injuries.

In his defense, he did have a troublesome time last year with his mom getting infected by Covid, and the malaria episode. I'm hoping last season was a blip, and he can go back to his scoring best this up-coming season.

*Fingers crossed*

I think he got a big contract and gave up on football

Seems to be an Arsenal tradition.

Maybe someone in management should of learned the lesson by now.

Ozil, Willian, Auba .......... have all ended up in disaster.

Answer: stop doing it.

I do have sympathy for AFC with Auba though, how do you not roll the dice on a Golden boot winner who seemed to be in his prime?

Oh well, lets just not do it again.

I honestly feel players are so over paid these days that once they hit that last contract at around the age of 30-32 they tank, rich guys who can't be bothered to grind anymore.

[Santi]

Smells like Jayram was right.

[Ach]

Indeed

Nketiah is better

[swipe right]

We are too slow moving the back from back to front. It gives defenses a chance to organize against us. We need a Cm who will accelerate our transition play. That will help Auba and Laca.

[DiamondGooner]

Smells like Jayram was right.

No he wasn't.

He said we should sell a 20 goal a season scorer .......... with no replacement.

That was the issue that was raised, if you recall at the time this was the window when we had no money and the only decent buy we made was Partey who even with a buy out clause it took us till deadline day to activate it because Arteta and co had to beg Stan to give them some money.

........... as I stated at the time, sell Auba, fine, where do we find the £80m to replace a Golden boot winner when we have no budget and we'll get pennies for Auba because his contract had run down and he's what 32 at the time?

So the prediction of Auba tanking was not what the issue was, it was who was going to replace him.

[EliteKiller]

The argument "how do we replace a 20 goal a season player" well that's not really true ...

Auba has now scored 64 goals in 3.5 seasons that's 18 goals a season and as we all know it was just 10 last season ... might not sound a lot different to 20 but in terms of replacing him it is, there are plenty of player scoring 15 goals a season, with far worse support than Auba gets.

If we had a Calvert-Lewin (24) - Bamford (27) or Watkins (25) pretty sure they would all score a lot more than Auba has/will ... they were all available in the last five years, all far cheaper than Auba, all on far lower salaries, and all now have a >50m resale value ....

Sure it's easy in hindsight, but buying 20/21/22 year old striking prospects, or buying 23/24/25 year old proven players with a possible upside has to be far better than buying older players on the way down ... in reality you need all three: your young prospects 20/21/22, then your proven with potential upside 25/26/27, and then your experienced 28/29/30,

City Foden (21) Torres (21) then Sterling (26) Jesus (24) then Mahrez (30) KDB (30) Gundogan (30)
Chelsea Hudson-Odi (20) and maybe soon Haaland then Werner (25) Abraham (23) Pulisic (22) then Ziyech (28) Batshuayi (28)

whilst we have:

Arsenal Nketiah (22) Nelson (21) Martinelli (20) then Pepe (26) then Auba (32) Willian (32) Laca (30)

The balance is all wrong - we do have good youngsters who need time to develop, we only have Pepe as proven and even that's questionable, our experienced players are all too old, - The mistakes in the squad are obvious so are the fixes, we just don't seem to want to make them.

[DiamondGooner]

EK .............

We're on about back when he renewed his contract, he was a 20 goal a season striker, he'd just come off 2 seasons back to back 20+.

We're not on about now.

[swipe right]

Even Messi couldn’t get you goals with this midfield. It’s the same reason he has struggled with Argentina all these years but shone at Barcelona.

[EliteKiller]

EK .............

We're on about back when he renewed his contract, he was a 20 goal a season striker, he'd just come off 2 seasons back to back 20+.

We're not on about now.

But isn't that the issue being repeated over and over - you can carry one 30+ striker and hope he retains his 20 goal a season ability - but you can't carry three and you have to expect any older player to drop off - age catches up with everyone.

Forget the names players come and go, it's the recruitment strategy that's flawed, where are the 25 year old strikers who can sign a five year deal and step-up when the old guys legs go? When did we last sign one of those? Pepe 80m, Wellbeck 20m can't think of many more ...

Yet our rivals all sign that type of player - we have to have a succession plan within our squad - we just seem to reach the end of a player's career or their contract and then panic, only then do we start looking for their replacement. That means we sell low and buy high, it's a sad joke.

[DiamondGooner]

I'm in agreement, that's what I said a few posts ago.

I'd be happy if Arsenal never sign another 30+ player to a big contract, especially at striker or positions where end product goals / assists are their main role.

They're all too rich and looking for a comfy gig and a Golden parachute into reitrement.

We need players in their 20's and still hungry to build their career not players at the tale end of it.

[swipe right]

Player will never be hungry if the club isn’t hungry. The club has to show ambition for the player to work his socks off. In the case of Arsenal, the ambitious players leave because they know it’s pointless. Imagine asking PEA to work his ass off when the entire summer has been squandered on a seventh CB, third choice LB and a kid from Belgian. He knows it’s a pointless exercise.