Look who’s in Arteta’s doghouse…and for good reason

Which was yesterday’s top story at the North London Derby: the match or the fact Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was in Mikel Arteta’s doghouse?

A lot has been written and discussed about Mikel Arteta’s decision to bench the club’s captain for being late for such a big match, however, in my opinion, Arteta not only did the right thing, he did the only thing, and that was to bench Aubameyang.

Here’s why…

1. Auba is the team’s captain, and that means he needs to lead by example, especially for the younger players.
2. He apparently had some previous history of being late, and had also been involved in a COVID-19 rules infraction with the club.
3. How can you possibly be late for one of the most important matches of the season? Where were his priorities?
4. No one player is bigger than the club. Period.

Ultimately, Aubameyang’s absence was not felt on the pitch, since Arsenal beat their north London archrivals 2-1. However, if the Gunners had loss, some of the blame would have been put on PEA’s head, and for good reason.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m a huge fan of #14, but to disrespect the club, the manager and your fellow players in this manner is and always will be unacceptable. No matter who you are.

Also, it was reported the captain skipped post-game activities with his teammates and left The Emirates 23 minutes after the match ended.

Come on Mr. Aubameyang, get it together!

Gunner1953