Arteta reveals major Arsenal doubts ‘incredible’ Aubameyang has beaten

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta said he was delighted with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s performance after the striker inspired his side to a 3-2 win over Everton on Sunday.

Having gone a goal down inside the first minute after Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s acrobatic strike, it was Aubameyang who completed the comeback as he finished past Jordan Pickford in the first half.

Then, after Everton equalised on the stroke of half time, the Gabon international headed home his 17th Premier League goal of the season, the goal which turned out to be the winner over the Blues.

Speaking to Sky Sports after the match, however, Arteta was asked about Aubameyang‘s defensive contributions, the forward scrambling back throughout the second half to maintain his side’s lead.

Arteta revealed that he was unsure if the striker had the desire to perform such duties, but is proud of the player for surpassing expectations.

“Incredible, the amount of work that he is doing and how he takes on defensive responsibility,” the manager said.

“Before I had my questions, but it shows the commitment that he’s showing with his teammates and with the club.

“I wasn’t sure if he wanted to do it or if he could do it physically. But he showed that he can do it physically, so then it is about ‘Do you want to do it or not?'”

“He’s our most important player, that’s why there’s no question about the impact that he has in this team.

 

“As much as I can and the club can, we will try to convince him to stay.”

Speaking about his side’s performance in general, Arteta hailed his team’s spirit as the most pleasing aspect of the display after a testing week for his players.

“The best thing is the spirit that we showed. Coming back from Europe, three games in seven days and conceding a goal in the first minute.

“The way we reacted, the way we played for 60-65 minutes was exactly what I want from my team,” the manager added.

“The resilience that some of the players showed when they were absolutely knackered and they kept going and going and going. It’s exactly what I want.”

Arsenal return to Europa League action on Thursday when they face Olympiacos at The Emirates, having beaten the Greek side 1-0 in the first leg of the last 32 in midweek.