A recent issue between Pierre Emerick Aubameyang and Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta popped up where the former was late to report at the stadium as the Gunners faced Tottenham Hotspurs in the North London Derby on Sunday.
However, now the Spaniard has cleared the air by saying that the issue has been resolved but Aubameyand needs to work hard and get back his spot in the starting eleven. The Gabonese striker was on the bench for the crucial match which Arsenal won 2-1. He broke some pre-match protocols and therefore Arteta is not allowing him to walk straight away into the starting eleven for the upcoming matches.
While he needs to earn his place again the Spanish tactician has not imposed any other punishment on the 31-year old. It is unclear that whether Aubameyang will feature in Arsenal’s Europa League fixture against Olympiacos.
When questioned about the issue with Aubameyand, Arteta said, ” “Yes. We talked, everything has been resolved in a really positive way. So we move forward.” When quizzed about him playing against the Greek side, the Spaniard added, ” “No, everybody has to obviously perform at the highest level to earn his place in the team and there are no exceptions there. We will try to put out a really competitive team to try and win the game.”
The Gunners have not opened up about the overall incident but it is reported that the Gabonese arrived late on such an important fixture. Arteta confirmed that the 31-year old was going to start the North London Derby but they went by the protocols.
“He was going to start the game. We had a disciplinary issue, we have drawn the line and we move on. He’s on the bench,” he said. “We keep that internally. We have a process we have to respect for every game and that’s it.”
Arsenal made quick work of Olympiacos in the first leg beating them 3-1 and won’t have much trouble in the second leg as well but they would need their star striker as they progress through to the business end of the Europa League.
With Champions League qualification still in doubt, the Gunners need to win the Europa League to achieve that feat as they are currently 10th in the Premier League. Therefore to achieve Champions League status next season they will need Aubameyang in the Premier League and also in the Europa League.
