Arsenal legend Gilberto Silva has called on the club’s players to step up and give Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang more to work with to get him back to his best.
It’s been a surprisingly poor start to the season for the Gabon international, who was hugely prolific last year with 29 goals in 44 appearances in all competitions, including crucial braces in both the FA Cup semi-final and final.
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On his day, there’s no doubt Aubameyang is one of the best strikers in world football, but things just aren’t clicking in this Arsenal team at the moment, and that’s affecting the 31-year-old’s form.
Gilberto believes it’s on the rest of this Arsenal side to improve their passing and give Aubameyang the kind of service he needs to thrive.
There’s no doubt the Gunners were poor in their 2-1 home defeat to Wolves last weekend, with Gilberto noting that Aubameyang struggled because of the team playing so many crosses when they should be playing it to his feet.
Gilberto Silva, speaking exclusively to Ladbrokes at its launch of the 5-A-Side Bet on Tottenham v Arsenal, said: “There’s no doubt for me that Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is a fantastic player. He has been so great for Arsenal since he joined the club.
“In the last few games he hasn’t performed in the way everyone has expected in comparison to last season. But it’s time for everyone to stick together and support the guy.
“Make his life easier. Pass him the ball. He has to be more involved in the game. Look for him, get it to him on the floor, where he can face players one-on-one. Give him a good ball to work with.
“If you watch the last game against Wolves, there were a lot of crosses coming in for him, and it was tough for him against the Wolves defence, where everyone was very well positioned. But if his teammates can make his life easier, then I have no doubt he can make as big an impact as he did last season.”