No player is bigger than the team

Arsenal face yet another “biggest match of the season” tomorrow v West Ham United.

The Gunners will be without their captain, who has been stripped of his captaincy and will not be involved with his teammates at all on Wednesday.

It’s been well documented that Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is in very hot water again with Mikel Arteta. Apparently, this infraction was the last straw, and could be the beginning of the end for the Gabonese international at the Emirates. Is this shades of Mesut Ozil? Yes, I believe it is.

In my opinion, Arteta did exactly the right thing. I firmly believe no player is bigger than the team, especially the team captain who makes millions playing for this club.

Now, Arteta shouldn’t announce a new captain just yet. He should rotate his main players as captain for the next month, or so, and see who steps up and really earns the captain’s armband.

This whole thing is really disappointing. I have been a big fan of Auba from the beginning, however, since signing that large contract extension last year, something changed. He has not lived up to the number of zeros on his weekly paycheck. As coaches, teammates, front office execs and supporters, we should, and must demand more from him, not only on the pitch, but off the pitch as well. Obviously, Aubameyang has disappointed both on and off the pitch.

Arteta told Arsenal.com at his pre-match press conference, “I have tried to explain the situation as clearly as I possibly can. But obviously there are situations and private matters that I cannot discuss with you. But I think you all should know the reasons why, and instead of having any excuses, tell the truth. I would add consequently to that, I think that this club and it’s people, and every supporter needs transparency, whether they agree or not, need to be told what happened, and to be told the truth and why we have made that decision.”

“We have to deal with the situation right now, we have to make the most out of it and the thing is that tomorrow we have a game. We have to show how much we care about that game tomorrow, and I’m sure that every player that steps out onto that pitch is going to be on hundred percent committed. It’s a big game because of the position they are in, and the position we want to be in. Tomorrow we have the opportunity at home, in front of our people to do that. That would be a big, big boost.”

So now, Arsenal must regroup, unite the locker room, put this Aubameyang drama behind them and focus everything on West Ham United. Three points on Wednesday would be a huge success story for this team, and this season.

And, whatever happens with Aubameyang after that should just be treated as a backstory. If he can regain the trust and respect of the Arsenal Nation, then great, however, if he can’t then that will be disappointing, but Arsenal will survive and go on because that’s what great clubs do. They pick up the pieces and move on!

Gunner1953