Arsenal striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was left out against Southampton – and pundit Martin Keown really isn’t impressed, even predicting a change.
Arsenal beat Southampton without Aubameyang
There was shock before kick-off against Southampton as Aubameyang wasn’t even on the bench.
This continued a strange run for Aubameyang. He was hooked when Arsenal were chasing a goal at Manchester United and then left on the bench against Everton.
This time, Mikel Arteta admitted disciplinary reasons were behind Aubameyang’s absence.
Arsenal didn’t miss Aubameyang, beating Southampton 3-0. Alexandre Lacazette, Martin Odegaard and Gabriel Magalhaes were on the scoresheet.
Just where Aubameyang goes from here remains to be seen. It’s clear that he has annoyed Arteta in some way, and a bench role seems to be in his future for a while yet.
Keown predicts big change
The Aubameyang situation has prompted reactions from many, including form Arsenal defender Martin Keown.
Keown spoke on Match of the Day on Saturday night (59mins), suggesting that Aubameyang’s time as captain is now in question.
Keown believes Arsenal just can’t depend on Aubameyang when they need him, which isn’t captain material.
The former Gunners defender added that he expects Arteta to make a change and give the captaincy to another player.
“The captaincy is in question now,” said Keown. “Your team needs you and he’s not there when they needed him most, so I expect that to change now,” he added.]
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