Aubameyang makes Arsenal good as they win 4-1 against West Ham

The game against West Ham saw Wenger make changes to his team ahead of the semifinal clash against Atletico Madrid in the coming week. Ozil, Wilshere and Cech were not in the team while Aubameyang was dropped to the bench despite his red-hot form since joining Arsenal in the winter transfer window. Wenger planned to boost the confidence of Lacazette who will be the striker in the UEFA Europa League since Aubameyang is cup-tied. The match had nothing to appease the many Arsenal fans who returned to their seats in the stadium after having protested against the performances in recent games.

On this day, the fans were there and backed their manager who is set to leave in the summer. They did not stop cheering their team even when they went into the break without a goal. Nacho Monreal who has arguably been Arsenal’s best player this season opened the scoring from Xhaka’s corner on the 51st minute with a half-volley. His finish was something that even strikers can look back to and learn a few things. West Ham boss, David Moyes responded by introducing Lanzini and Javier Hernandez to support the striker Arnautovic. It was not long before these changes paid dividends as Arnautovic control the ball with his left leg and fired a shot across goal and into the net after Arsenal had failed to clear the ball out. 1-1 was the scoreline when Aubameyang was called onto the pitch.

The team started to believe with their star man on the pitch as they began to create spaces for forwards to capitalise on. It was not long before Aubameyang caused confusion in West Ham’s box just by his presence as Aaron Ramsey’s cross flew straight into the net. The Gabon international then turned provider to Lacazette’s goal in the 85th minute after some slick passes by Arsenal. Lacazette scored his second of the night 4 minutes after from a pass by Ramsey, and he celebrated with his strike partner Aubameyang. The pair already calls themselves The Bad Boys which draws a comparison to the relationship between Will Smith and Martin Lawrence in their classic movies from the 1990s and early 2000s. Will this relationship help bring Arsenal more success after Wenger leaves?    

The midfielder confirms when he will hang his boots

One of Fergie’s servants has finally come to terms with reality and has decided to hang his boots at the end of the current campaign. Michael Carrick has been a midfield enforcer in the Manchester United team under five different managers including Sir Alex Ferguson, David Moyes, Ryan Giggs, Louis Van Gaal and Jose Mourinho. He is well known and respect for his basic play that slows down the pace of the team and allows them to dominate possession with his quick short passes and rare long balls to the wing. The 36 year-old would have probably wanted to continue playing but has been given little opportunities ever since Mourinho took over and the chances of him playing this season were shuttered by the emergence of McTominay who is younger and fresher than the experienced defensive midfielder. A health problem also contributed to that decision as he has undergone a procedure to correct his heart rhythm. This problem started in the Burton game and also happened in training. We wish him all the best in his last year and hopefully he can lift one more trophy before he retires.