The
decision to play Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang on the wing for Arsenal is often met with
bemusement. On the face of it, that makese sense: why play one of the best strikers in
the world in a position where he’s further from goal?
Nevertheless, Arsene Wenger, Unai Emery and recently Mikel Arteta have all used Aubameyang
out wide at times. As it turns out, they’ve good reason: statistics show a player who
not only offers greater contribution to the team out wide but also one who offers just
as much penalty-box threat, and even scores more goals.
Contrary to the general perception, Aubameyang has actually been used as a lone forward for
most of his Arsenal career. He started off there when he joined for a then-club record
fee in 2018.
His first appearance on the left was in an away defeat to Newcastle in April that year
when he had 70 touches (his highest number in an Arsenal shirt) and provided an assist
for Alexandre Lacazette to put Arsenal into the lead. While the result didn’t go Arsenal’s
way, the game offered a glimpse into how Wenger and his successor would try to shoehorn Lacazette
and Aubameyang into the same team.
It’s not the case, however, that Aubameyang has been confined to the flank ever since.
Breaking his minutes down into the various roles he’s played at Arsenal, that position
on the left has made up about a quarter of his game time.
Aubameyang has spent a large proportion of his time up front alone, either in a 4-2-3-1
or a 4-3-3, where most believe he’s best-suited to playing. For all the talk of him being
used as a winger, he’s spent almost two thirds of his minutes playing as a striker.
Where it becomes most interesting, however, is looking at his raw goalscoring statistics.
To date, Aubameyang has actually scored most of his goals when playing out on the wing.
Not only that but he has a higher rate of goals per 90 when starting wide on the left.
It’s also worth noting how consistent his record is when playing up top, either in a
two or on his own, and also how he scores at a rate of at least a goal every other game.
His quality is evident wherever he plays.
Looking at expected goals tells us about the quality of the chances he gets per position.
His xG scores as a left winger and lone forward are strikingly similar, although there’s
a markedly big drop-off when he plays from the right, where he appears to be significantly
less dangerous.
When you look at his shot maps in both positions, it’s striking that the vast majority of
his goals are still scored from within the width of the six-yard box. It’s not as if
playing from the left means he’s scoring consistently from the left channel. What’s
important is that, even when stationed out wide, he’s granted the freedom to get into
the close-range areas where he is so dangerous.
When partnered up top, Aubameyang gets fewer quality chances than when he plays on his
own, presumably due to sharing those opportunities with his strike partner.
Aubameyang is also an expert finisher and has outscored xG across each position. In
fact, while the quality of chances that he’s been getting recently at left wing has reduced,
he’s still scoring at a high rate. A player who used to be defined by volume of chances
rather than quality of finishing has evolved into a clinical marksman. Whether that continues
remains to be seen but it will doubtless play into Arsenal’s thinking over his future
this summer.
With a different position also comes different responsibilities for Aubameyang. At left wing,
he finds himself putting in far more defensive work, as noted by his number of defensive
actions per 90 minutes. He also sees far more of the ball when playing out wide.
Crucially, he actually gets more touches inside the opponent’s box when playing from the
flank than he does through the middle. It appears this position enables him to offer
more to Arsenal defensively without compromising his goalscoring threat.
Playing Aubameyang on the left instead of up front also covers up some of his deficiencies
when holding the ball up. With Arsenal starting attacks deeper than any other team in the
Premier League this season, it’s key that they have a player who can keep possession
when under pressure, enabling fellow attackers to catch up with the play.
Lacazette is Arsenal’s best attacking option from this perspective and that’s borne out
in the numbers — his pass completion rate in the opposition half is markedly higher
(73%) than Aubameyang’s (68%) and Eddie Nketiah’s (64%). Lacazette and Aubameyang
also have a good on-field understanding. No Arsenal player has created more goals for
Aubameyang than Lacazette, with six assists. Of the current Arsenal squad, the next in
line are Hector Bellerin and Sead Kolasinac with three.
When playing as the lone frontman, Aubameyang manages fewer touches in the middle third
of the field than Lacazette and Nketiah do when playing the same role this season — potentially
showing that it’s not a natural part of his game to show for the ball.
Having Aubameyang on the left, however, means that Arsenal can use his pace to run them
up the field instead — in similar fashion to how Steve Bruce has used Miguel Almiron
and Allan Saint-Maximin to propel his Newcastle team forward. Football is, after all, a team
sport, and if it means playing a player slightly out of position to cover the gaps in their
game for the betterment of the team, then it’s a worthwhile trade-off. Even before
taking on the role of captain, Aubameyang showed a willingness to sacrifice himself
for the side.
The collective comes first — and the numbers show that Arsenal score more goals when Aubameyang
is on the left. This is admittedly a raw figure that’s not adjusted for the quality of opposition
played but it’s nonetheless interesting. Playing Aubameyang on the left enables Arsenal
to squeeze more potential goalscorers into their starting XI.
This situation is nothing new for Aubameyang. In Jurgen Klopp’s final season at Dortmund,
he played Aubameyang from the left to help accommodate Ciro Immobile. His best position
was the subject of fractious internal debate at the club.
There is another factor to consider here: Aubameyang’s age. Playing left wing requires
him to cover an enormous amount of ground. He turns 31 this summer and it’s possible
he might suffer a physical dip that means he struggles to get through that workload.
As he gets older, limiting his position to the width of the penalty box might have a
certain logic.
For now, however, he shows no signs of slowing.