Martin Keown reckons Mikel Arteta doesn’t believe in Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to solve Arsenal’s problems right now.
The club captain was dropped to the bench for Arsenal’s 2-1 defeat against Everton last time out as Alexandre Lacazette led the line.
Eyebrows were raised when in the final stages Arsenal were looking for a goal and Arteta turned to Eddie Nketiah off the bench ahead of bringing Aubameyang on with just a few minutes left to play.
Aubameyang has scored just four league goals this season with his last coming in mid October and former Gunner Keown isn’t convinced Arteta wants to put his trust in the 32-year-old anymore.
‘He’s fallen out of love with the player, he doesn’t quite believe in him,’ Keown told talkSPORT.
‘OK, you’ve given him a new contract six months into his tenure as manager when they won the FA Cup and that’s all well and good, but since then he hasn’t performed in the same way.
‘The player is at a loss of form and in those moments, if I look at it from the player’s point of view, you want that support from the manager and want someone to stand by you.
‘You certainly expect, if you’ve been dropped, to come on in a game of high importance.’
Despite Aubameyang’s barren spell in front of goal, Keown feels the striker should have started in the trip to Goodison Park.
‘I do believe that Aubameyang should have started [vs Everton] and I’m trying to find the logic from the manager,’ Keown continued. ‘Personally, I would play him.
‘It becomes a problem when you lose games.
‘They’ve lost the last three away games, and if they were winning those games you’d have to say this is brilliant management but when they don’t win those games, that’s when the question marks come.
‘It looks then as though the manager doesn’t quite know the XI he can really trust and rely upon.’
All eyes will be on Arteta’s team selection when the Gunners host Southampton this afternoon.
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