• News

Arteta is not worried about Arsenal marksman’s goalscoring form

GettyImage-1280765736
Getty Images
Advertisement

Ahead of their Europa League clash against Rapid Vienna, Mikel Arteta spoke about Arsenal frontman’s form.

Mikel Arteta does not feel any pressure because of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s slow start to the new season.

Evidently, the Gabon international only netted one goal from five outings in the Premier League for the Gunners.

Subsequently, the 31-year-old served as the top goalscorer for Arsenal with 29 goals across all competitions. Moreover, Aubameyang also signed a new three-year deal at Emirates.

Nevertheless, Arteta admitted that he is not concerned about Aubameyang’s low form. The Arsenal boss spoke at a press conference ahead of their Europa League fixture against Rapid Vienna.

“With all the strikers if you ask when they don’t score for two or three games if there are concerns, in my opinion, the performance was not a cause of this,” Arteta said.

“He could have scored again on Saturday in a one-vs-one situation that normally he does. It’s trying to get in better positions as frequently as we can to try to give him the best possible chance.”

No concerns at all.

Furthermore, Arsenal will face Rapid Vienna after a long time on Thursday. Their last meeting occurred in the 1991-92 European Cup. The Gunners beat the Austrian side by 6-1.

In addition, Arsenal will play in the fourth consecutive season in the tournament. They reached the semi-final in 2017-18, the final in 2018-19, and the last 32 in the 2019-20 season.

Additionally, Arteta is assured that Arsenal will find their way through the Premier League and the Europa League.

He said: “We are really excited to be playing back in Europe again after a difficult season where we had to earn our right to play here through winning the FA Cup. Obviously, it’s a big bonus for us, we want to make the most out of it in every competition we are involved in. Our aim is to try to win it.

“Time will tell. Depending on what happens, depending on how this Covid-19 situation evolves, depending on the injuries, I believe we have the squad to try and fit until the last moment.

“What we are looking for in this competition is to go as far as possible and win it.”

Arteta also implied that new signing Thomas Partey will potentially make his first start for Arsenal.

“He looked strong and confident and brought something positive to the team,” Arteta said of the Ghana midfielder.

“Since he joined us, he only had a day, day and a half, training. He has now done a few more training sessions and looks ready to start.”

x