Arsenal’s Europa League exertions lead to Aubameyang benching

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang joined a long list of popular Gameweek 27 captaincy picks that failed to deliver after being dropped to the bench in a Premier League match for the first time since October.

His double-digit FPL hauls as a substitute in Gameweeks 8 and 9 weren’t to be repeated on Sunday, however, as he spurned a handful of presentable opportunities when emerging for a 15-minute cameo in Arsenal’s 2-0 win over Southampton.

The premium forward’s “one-pointer” takes centre stage in our Scout Notes article below.

Arsenal 2-0 Southampton

• Goals: Alexandre Lacazette (£9.5m), Henrikh Mkhitaryan (£6.7m)
• Assists: Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Alex Iwobi (£5.4m)

While it will be of little solace to those Fantasy managers affected, Unai Emery explained his decision to start without Mesut Ozil (£7.9m) and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (£11.1m) in the Gameweek 27 clash with Southampton on Sunday.

Speaking just before kick-off, the Arsenal manager said:

We needed fresh players with energy today and quality. They are a very physical team, organised and are going to work hard against us. We need to start with a team which is fresh and has energy. We want to continue being consistent, and with a big intensity and aggressiveness like Thursday.

If a “fresh” team is what Emery desires again on Wednesday night, then Aubameyang and Ozil will surely come back into contention for a start against Bournemouth – though, as one would obviously expect, Emery offered no assurances on that prospect.

Those Fantasy managers who plan on retaining Aubameyang should – based on Sunday’s evidence – perhaps have one eye on the Europa League last-16 double-header against Rennes in March, which takes place either side of Gameweek 30 (a home fixture against Manchester United).

Aubameyang’s services may well be required in both legs of that tie, with
Alexandre Lacazette (£9.5m) suspended for another two European matches.

One crumb of comfort for Aubameyang’s 1.76 million FPL owners in the short-term is that Alex Iwobi (£5.4m) picked up a knock that led to his substitution (and the Gabonese forward’s introduction) on Sunday, rendering him a doubt for the visit of the Cherries in midweek.

Iwobi had lined up for this match on the left flank of a 4-2-3-1, with his role being taken up by Aubameyang from the 75th minute onwards.

Emery provided an update on Iwobi after the match, as well as Ainsley Maitland-Niles (£4.4m), who missed this fixture through illness, and Stephan Lichtsteiner (£4.5m), who was forced off during the win over the Saints.

The Arsenal boss said:

I hope it’s only one knock [for Iwobi] and not a more important injury. I hope he can play Wednesday. Lichtsteiner has back pain but I think he can also be okay for Wednesday. I hope also Maitland-Niles can be ready for Wednesday.

The annoyance among Aubameyang’s owners was compounded when the Gabon international was thrice denied a consolation attacking return in the closing stages of Sunday’s win.

Only Angus Gunn‘s (£4.3m) reflexes prevented Jannik Vestergaard (£4.6m) from turning Aubameyang’s low cross into his own goal, before the Arsenal striker saw a goalbound shot blocked and then failed to pick out a simple pass across the six-yard box when well-positioned in the Southampton area.

While the one-point return will be hard to stomach for his owners, Aubameyang’s flurry of late chances at least showed that he has the potential to deliver attacking returns even when forced to make do with a bit-part appearance – which was further evidenced against Leicester and Fulham earlier this season.

Aubameyang’s home form (he averaged 9.5 FPL points per match in his preceding six league fixtures at the Emirates) was a major selling point ahead of Sunday but Lacazette is equally on-song at the Emirates.

Sunday’s back-heeled finish from Henrikh Mkhitaryan‘s (£6.7m) misdirected shot was his fourth goal in as many matches in north London, while Sergio Aguero (£11.6m) is the only FPL forward to have scored more league goals than Lacazette in 2019.

The French striker had chances to add to his tally, though: Gunn making smart stops from a Lacazette header and a low drive either side of a glorious opportunity for the former Lyon man, who blazed over from six yards.

Two of those chances (including that “big” one) were teed up by Sead Kolasinac (£5.1m), who ought to have banked at least one assist but who at least had the consolation of a clean sheet and two bonus points.

The Bosnia and Herzegovina international was again a menace down the left flank despite being deployed in a more orthodox full-back position, with only Lacazette having more penalty box touches than the mid-price FPL defender.

Only three FPL assets in total registered more touches in the opposition area than Kolasinac in Gameweek 27.

Iwobi and Mkhitaryan impressed on the flanks, meanwhile, and combined for the latter’s goal to double Arsenal’s lead.

Both of those players fall in the FPL differential bracket and looked appealing options on Sunday, though the constant uncertainty over which formation Emery will use on a week-to-week basis (not to mention Aubameyang’s name to throw into the mix) counts again them for now.

Emery even gave a nod to his malleable tactics when asked about conceding chances to Southampton from the full-back positions:

In the first action they get at our space in defensive and created some good chances but you need your goalkeeper for good saves sometimes and I think today Leno played very well and helped us a lot.

After we can play with different systems and different players, it depends. Sometimes you want to attack a lot with our left and right-back, but maybe it’s better to play with three centre-backs to protect his backline, like sometimes with Kolasinac.

It depends on if they’re playing with one attacking player or two and the situation tactically in each match. After today I think Licht played his best first half in the season and Kolasinac also was keeping his consistency up. He played well today and played well offensively and defensively.

The Saints were very much second-best in this match but had their moments, including a one-on-one chance spurned by Nathan Redmond (£5.3m) and two shots from the recalled Matt Targett (£4.2m) that Bernd Leno (£4.8m) did well to turn away.

James Ward-Prowse (£5.1m) also whistled an effort narrowly wide of Leno’s post in the second half, while Kolasinac did brilliantly to block another one of the Southampton midfielder’s piledrivers late on.

Redmond was deployed “out of position” as the lone central striker in Hasenhuttl’s 3-5-1-1 but their first-half showing prompted a reshuffle from the Southampton boss at the interval, with the Saints reverting to a back four and throwing on Michael Obafemi (£5.0m) and Charlie Austin (£5.5m) to support Redmond in attack.

Hasenhuttl said of his alterations in system and personnel:

What we tried at half-time was to change the system and our shape and show that we are brave and want to come back into the game by taking more risks and pressing earlier.

It worked okay, we still gave chances away but made some more for ourselves. Ultimately, Arsenal deserved to win, they were the better team. 

Obafemi’s return from a hamstring problem lasted all of 20 minutes, however, with the young forward substituted after suffering a recurrence of his injury.

Hasenhuttl said of Obafemi’s fitness:

I’m very disappointed for Michael’s injury. It’s horrible for him to have this problem after just 20 minutes. He is a guy who is very quick and we are working hard with him on his body shape and posture.

Arsenal XI (4-2-3-1): Leno; Lichtsteiner (Koscielny 56′), Mustafi, Sokratis, Kolasinac; Xhaka, Torreira; Mkhitaryan, Ramsey (Ozil 63′), Iwobi (Aubameyang 75′); Lacazette. 

Southampton XI (3-5-1-1): Gunn; Bednarek, Vestergaard, Stephens (Austin 45′); Valery, Romeu, Hojbjerg, Ward-Prowse, Targett; Armstrong (Obafemi 45′, Elyounoussi 65′); Redmond.