‘He needs to work hard’: Merson convinced Arteta will make one change for Arsenal v Southampton

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Paul Merson believes that Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta will recall Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to the starting lineup when Southampton head to the Emirates on Saturday.

The Gunners skipper was dropped to the bench against Everton after a terrible run of form. Aubameyang hasn’t scored since October and he has missed a few sitters recently as well. Arteta had to make a decision, but that didn’t help his side get back to winning ways.

Arsenal have now lost three of their last four games in the Premier League. They have to bounce back this weekend and Merson has urged Aubameyang to step up and set an example.

He believes that the Gabon star is the catalyst at Arsenal and if he starts playing well, everyone will follow him.

Paul Merson: Aubameyang will start for Arsenal against Southampton

The Englishman wrote in his column on Sportskeeda: “This is a huge Premier League game for Arsenal. These are the games they have managed to win this season. You don’t really know what you’re going to get with Southampton. One minute they’re good, and the next, they’re not.

“I think Aubameyang will start again this weekend, but he needs to work hard. His form has taken a dip. Arsenal have a lot of youngsters at the moment and as captain, he needs to set an example.

“When he works hard, Arsenal are very good, and that shows how the youngsters look up to him. He’s the catalyst for the team and the young kids in the squad respect him.

“Mikel Arteta will realise that this is a crucial game. If they win this fixture, it puts them in a nice position. They can kick on after this game and have a few nice fixtures coming up. I’m going to go with an Arsenal victory this weekend.”

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Aubameyang has been a phenomenal player for Arsenal, but his form since the start of last season has been really poor. He has looked nothing like his previous self and Arteta had to drop him to be fair to the others.

However, Aubameyang could be brought back into the side this weekend due to Emile Smith Rowe and Gabriel Martinelli’s injuries. It’s unclear if the two will return for the game against Southampton, but if they fail to make it, the Gabon star is Arsenal’s best option on the left flank.

It will be interesting to see how Aubameyang will respond to getting dropped. Many pundits have speculated a potential rift between the Gunners skipper and Arteta, but if Auba starts tomorrow and plays at his absolute best, all that will be forgotten.