Arsenal manager Unai Emery has revealed that Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was the designated penalty taker for the recent Premier League clash against Aston Villa and he took the risk of handing Nicolas Pepe with the spotkick. The Gabon international has been a revelation for the Gunners since his arrival from Borussia Dortmund, and he recently scored his seventh goal of the season as the north London side sealed a stunning 3-2 comeback win over the Villains.
Speaking after the game, Emery was asked whether Aubameyang was the first-choice penalty taker in the club’s ranks and he replied in the affirmative. He added that Aubameyang took the risk of offering the penalty to Pepe to boost the Ivorian’s confidence and he is happy that the decision paid off for the Gunners on the day.
He told: “Yes, it’s Aubameyang who is responsible for penalties. Also Lacazette, and today for me is a very big decision from Aubameyang to let Pepe shoot to give him confidence and the possibility to score. Really, the responsibility is Aubameyang and I was happy when I saw that decision from Aubameyang. He is hungry every day to score, to achieve, individual and collective objectives. Today that decision shows a really great player.”
Read More “Unai Emery admits Aubameyang took a risk with penalty decision”
Alexandre Lacazette managed to reduce Spurs’ advantage before the break and the comeback draw was sealed in the second half where Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored off a sublime assist from Guendouzi. The Frenchman did not have the best of beginnings to the encounter but he picked up his performance shortly after the Gunners went 2-0 down.
Speaking in a press conference, Emery confirmed that the attacker won’t be featuring for the club anymore following the injury, considering he has agreed to join Juventus at the end of the season, he said: “We can’t use him, injuries come for players like that and we have players who can play. But he was in a good moment when he took this injury.
In a report covered by The Mirror, Iwobi said that Ozil has always been a creative player in the Gunners attack, though the supporters have not entirely appreciated his showing, he said: “Fans sometimes don’t appreciate what he gives to the team. I don’t know the stats but with Mesut in the team you are always going to get at least three chances a game from him. He always provides an excellent pass or something, a good move or play that leads to a goal, or almost leads to a goal. Mesut is a great player and he also works hard off the ball.”
Aside from this friendly match, Arsenal will be involved in a number of open training sessions in this trip. Manager Unai Emery says that he is very confident that it was a good decision to pick an abroad destination to boost the morale of the players. The final leg of the 2018-19 campaign promises to be quite interesting, as Arsenal have been able to close the gap on the top three places with great consistency in the last few months. The Gunners are now just one point behind Spurs coming into the international break. Since the pressure will be high in the next two months of action, this break serves as a great way to get some fitness and rejuvenation under the belt.
Writing in his Daily Mail column, Keown was impressed with the way the Frenchman has performed since the start of the campaign and believes the Gunners should build the team around the former Lyon man, he penned: “I think special mention has to go to Alexandre Lacazette. How patient has that man been? His attitude has been impeccable.