Mikel Arteta has claimed that Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's 'natural position' is 'on the left' despite criticism from sections of the Arsenal support.
Aubameyang has found himself out wide this season, where has played at times in the past, leaving some supporters unhappy.
Many Arsenal fans feel the Gabon international is more effective in the lead striker role, where he started today for the Gunners' Premier League clash with Leeds United.
But Arteta maintains that Aubameyang's natural position is out wide. Asked about the 31-year-old playing centrally at Elland Road today by Sky Sports, Arteta said: “I mentioned that it’s one of the options.
"We have scored goals a lot with Auba in his natural position on the left, so we’ll change that depending on the opponents and the games."
He added: “It’s about knowing what to expect, the execution (of beating the press) is vital because you have very little time to make the decision.
"You don’t have time to think, so you need to be really sharp and aggressive and match their intensity.”
Speaking specifically about the Leeds game, the Gunners boss said: "We have a big challenge ahead of us, against a very competitive team to play.
"We want a reaction, obviously we’re disappointed with the last result. After the international break, with the problems we had, with some players not even in the country, we need to react and make the most out of it."
Arsenal will be looking to get back on track at Elland Road - their first game since the international break - having suffered a surprise 3-0 defeat at home to Aston Villa last time out.
Prior to the trip to Yorkshire, Arteta's men had lost three of their last four in the Premier League, leaving them 11th with 13 points from their first nine games.
