Aubameyang-Lacazette strike partnership excels through space and rotation

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette use space and rotation to thrive as Arsenal’s ideal striker partnership.

Arsenal’s formula for success this season is simple, play Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette together. It’s a dream partnership defined by intelligent use of space and subtle rotation of positions.

Those qualities helped both strikers score when the Gunners beat Cardiff 3-2 away in the Premier League on Sunday. It was the first time this season head coach Unai Emery had started both attackers together, with Aubameyang moving to the left flank to make room for Lacazette through the middle.

From the off, the Bluebirds couldn’t cope with the way Aubameyang and Lacazette exchanged positions. The first shift came during the opening half when Aaron Ramsey, still awkward as a No. 10, was played in on the overlap on the right flank.

Ramsey looked up to see Aubameyang had ghosted off the left into the No. 9 spot. Meanwhile, Lacazette had dropped from the center-forward role to become a de facto No. 10 just behind his fellow attacker.

While nothing came from the opening, Lacazette and Aubameyang had set the tone for how they would keep Cardiff defenders guessing.

The hosts couldn’t solve the riddle in the build-up to Arsenal’s first goal. Lacazette and Aubameyang had swapped positions, with the latter now in the middle, while the former went left.

It was the Frenchman who started the move before moving into the box closer to Aubameyang. The presence of two strikers caused havoc, with a Sean Morrison clearance bouncing off Aubameyang before the defender had to head behind under pressure from Lacazette.

Morrison’s efforts to clear wouldn’t have been needed at all had there been just one striker in the box and no second frontman lurking.

Instead, Granit Xhaka took the resulting corner and Shkodran Mustafi headed in for 1-0.

The goal owed everything to how Lacazette and Aubameyang closed the space between them. By playing closer together, Arsenal’s primary attackers doubled down on the threat they posed in the final third.

Cardiff’s inability to deal with the greater danger led to Aubameyang lashing in Arsenal’s second two minutes after the hour mark.

Lacazette ran across the line to get closer to his strike partner. Excellent rotation saw the ex-Lyon star drop off slightly and Aubameyang instantly move ahead of him.

Movements this swift are evidence of the natural understanding and timing between the pair. So is the quality link-up involving Lacazette’s first-time flick to tee up Aubameyang, who scored with aplomb from distance.

The sumptuous finish meant Aubameyang is more prolific than all but one of the division’s deadliest marksmen:

His early success in north London is hardly a surprise given the 29-year-old’s career-long habit for finding the net:

Aubameyang could be set for his most prolific patch if Lacazette continues to play so close to him.

Short distances between the Gunners’ frontmen overwhelmed Cardiff defenders in the box and created Lacazette’s late winner. It came nine minutes from time when both strikers were in the middle again.

Aubameyang’s movement drew the attention of two markers, leaving Lacazette one-on-one. He was picked out by a clever pass from Lucas Torreira and was able to turn his marker before rifling a fierce shot past Neil Etheridge.

Lacazette wouldn’t have been able to make the turn as a lone striker with no support. He would have been surrounded by greater numbers and faced tighter marking.

Injury blighted much of Lacazette’s first season with Arsenal. Even so, the 27-year-old has still managed to deliver the goods more often than not:

As Ligue 1 analyst Matt Spiro pointed out, working with another striker is bringing the best out of Arsenal’s No. 9:

Lacazette’s form and Aubameyang’s eye for goal demand both are in Emery’s starting XI. Their ability to score will bail out a defense somehow shakier than last season’s unit.

Football.London’s Tashan Deniran-Alleyne explains how effective this burgeoning partnership has been:

"It’s now 10 times they’ve been on the pitch at the same time – stretching all the way back to February in the north London derby loss against Tottenham – which has yielded 11 goals and five assists between them."

Continuing to play two up top will give the cultured midfielders Emery inherited from predecessor Arsene Wenger more to aim for. Yet Emery’s immediate challenge involves choosing the ideal midfield cast to support his star strikers.

Ramsey is still finding his feet as a No. 10, a position better-suited to Mesut Ozil or Henrikh Mkhitaryan. Their attempts to occupy a wide berth in a front three are usually leaving full-backs Hector Bellerin and Nacho Monreal horribly over-exposed defensively.

Ramsey’s energy can be put to more use out wide. If not, then Danny Welbeck or Alex Iwobi should be given more chances.

Torreira’s eye-catching cameo in Wales proved he has to start alongside inconsistent Xhaka or raw Matteo Guendouzi at the base of midfield.

Regardless, Emery must keep the Aubameyang-Lacazette partnership going. It may mean switching to a back three for away games against the top six. A 3-5-2 setup will let Arsenal retain a central trio for the midfield battle.

Strikers are the strength of Emery’s squad, so he’d be foolish to leave one of Arsenal’s primary sources of goals waiting on the bench.