Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang can get pretty angry during matches, says Bukayo Saka, who says the Arsenal captain is always trying to toughen up his junior teammates.
Saka knows what he is talking about
Saka has regularly played alongside Aubameyang since graduating to the first team at Emirates Stadium in 2018, and the pair formed a lucrative relationship in the final third of the serve. The 19-year-old says the Gabonese striker is an inspirational figure that helps bring out the best out of him, but has also admitted that he’s not afraid to crack the whip like a skipper if he ever feels like his peers aren’t up to the standard required.
You are a very good player
“Every time I played with him, I always had so much confidence,” Aubameyang said of his leadership skills. “Sometimes he told you, you would have to go to him, and if you make a mistake, then he can be very angry. “But the game where I scored my first goal for Arsenal against Frankfurt, before the game he told me, Bukayo, you know that you are a very good player. If you are there in front of the goal and you want to shoot, shoot! I am not going to say anything. “My parents love him so much!” Aubameyang has been a major source of goals for Arsenal since his arrival in the Emirates from Borussia Dortmund in January 2018, scoring 84 goals in 138 games across all competitions. However, only 14 of these efforts were recorded in 2020-21, with the 31-year-old struggling to get fit and fitness over the past few months. Aubameyang has just nine goals from 23 Premier League names to date, with his most recent goals in a 3-2 Europa League win over Benfica on 25 February.
There is a chance of reaching the top four
Aubameyang’s failures in the final third coincided with an alarming slide down the Premier League table for Arsenal, which sits in 10th place after 27 games. However, the Gunners still have a chance of reaching the top four if they can win most of their remaining games, and the Europa League is still poised to tackle Arteta’s side as well. The continued presence of Aubameyang and Saka will be critical to their chances of success, with the latter insisting that Arteta is helping him become the best player in all rounds.