Arsenal skipper Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was dropped by Mikel Arteta for not following matchday protocols before the game against Tottenham on Sunday.
The Athletic revealed yesterday that the Arsenal striker arrived late to a team meeting yesterday. This was not the first time Auba had been late and Arteta was reportedly not a happy man before the game.
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Aubameyang was set to be named in the starting lineup but his indiscipline cost him a place. He was dropped to the bench and remained an unused substitute. The Arsenal skipper was not a happy man after the win if reports are to be believed.
Auba left the Emirates immediately after full-time
The Athletic reveal today that Auba left the Emirates at 6.46 pm, just 23 minutes after Michael Oliver blew the full-time whistle.
It is claimed that Arsenal’s head of fitness Shad Forsythe held a warm-down session with the unused substitutes after the game. Hector Bellerin, Rob Holding and Pablo Mari among others took part, but Auba just left.
He also took no part in the celebrations which is very un-Auba-like, but it is understandable after what had gone on a few hours earlier. He’s either upset with Arteta or his own discipline – hopefully it’s the latter.
Arsenal Insider’s view:
As a captain, Aubameyang has a lot of responsibilities – both on and off the pitch. He has to be a role model and as a leader, he should be the one setting the standards.
Sadly, walking in late is a terrible example to set.
Arteta was right to do what he did and the result last night would’ve sent Aubameyang a harsh message. Him driving off immediately after the game is borderline unacceptable, but maybe he just needed some alone time.
The next training session will tell us a lot about Auba. He can either accept his mistake, close that page and move on, or start throwing tantrums like a kid who got told off for lacking discipline at school. His leadership since he joined us hints that it’ll be the former and hopefully that will be that.
Auba will likely start against Olympiacos on Thursday and a good performance there will make everyone forget about what happened on Sunday.
