Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta makes worrying admission over Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s ‘mood’
Arteta gives Arsenal team news before Everton clash
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Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta believes Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s lack of goals is affecting the captain’s confidence and mood. Aubameyang has endured a difficult 18-month spell and has disappointed in recent performances.
The 32-year-old was substituted when Arsenal were chasing an equaliser against Manchester United two weeks ago.
Arteta then introduced Eddie Nketiah from the substitutes’ bench ahead of Aubameyang with Arsenal level at 1-1 against Everton on Monday. They ended up losing 2-1.
Aubameyang has scored just four Premier League goals this season, with none of those coming in his last six games. He did bag a hat-trick in the 6-0 EFL Cup thumping of West Brom in September.
That follows a season in which he scored just 10 league goals. The former Borussia Dortmund striker had scored 22 in each of the two campaigns prior and had earned a reputation as one of the most prolific stars in the division.
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But his latest struggle has concerned boss Arteta, who has warned the Gabon international that he cannot feel sorry for himself.
“When a player is not scoring, it is affecting his confidence, the mood and probably his belief,” Arteta said on Friday.
“But in this situation you should not just accept it and feel sorry for yourself.”
Arsenal face Southampton tomorrow bidding to respond to consecutive defeats. They have lost three of their last four matches having been unbeaten in their eight games prior.
Arteta has backed his side to put their form back on track. The Gunners remain just four points off the Champions League places.
“Every time you lose a football match in this club it’s what happens and I think it’s what should happen because we are here to win every match and when we lost two in a row, it’s painful,” Arteta continued.
“It’s even more painful for me the way we lost those games because of the trajectory that the team had and the results that we were having.
“Still, in those two matches, I feel that we deserved much more than two defeats, for sure.
“Against Manchester United and looking back at the game against Everton, even more, but we haven’t and we have to manage and know how to win more matches.”
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He added: “It’s the reality of where we are, I don’t know if it’s a reflection.
“It’s a reality and a reality that we want to change that we were able to change it and now it’s about doing it more and more consistently.”
Asked if his side needed to create more chances to win game, Arteta concluded: “It’s always a combination [of factors].
“Who creates the chances for them, it’s themselves, it’s the team, it’s the collective capacity for the team to arrive better in conditions in the final third. It’s the numbers in the box, we can look at everything. But the reality is that we need more goals.”
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