Mikel Arteta has been told that Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang needs to be shifted inside to halt Arsenal ’s “frustrating” struggles in front of goal.
The Gunners have scored just eight times in the league this season and go into Sunday’s clash at Manchester United on the back of two successive stalemates.
Club captain Aubameyang is also in the midst of a goal drought himself, only netting once since opening day of the Premier League season.
Arteta has used last season's top scorer on the left-hand side of his front three, but Arsenal favourite Paul Merson, believes that makes him too easy to defend.
“They’ve got some talented footballers,” he told Sky Sports. “I find Aubameyang, I find him frustrating. He plays out on the wing and if it isn’t going well I think he needs to be inside, he needs to be down the middle and involved in the game.
“He can drift out of the game and then all of a sudden he’ll pop up and score a great goal and be on the end of it or something.
“But I need him in the game more, I need Aubameyang, he’s my talisman and too many times it’s too easy for a team to mark him out of the game.”
Aubameyang has cut a frustrated figure in recent times, but has admitted he has no concerns that his form will turn around.
“We are not finding scoring goals easy at the moment," he said.
“This happens in teams — I haven’t scored for a few games in the league, either.
“But we’re an experienced team, with experienced attacking players and we know we will turn this around. I’m not worried about that.”
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A win over United would see Arsenal move into the top-half, but Merson is concerned that his old team isn’t even a contender in the race for the European places.
He added: “Something’s got to change soon. It’s the Arsenal and now we’re looking can they get into the top six.
“In an open league like it is we talk about Wolves, Leicester, Leeds I can’t say it doesn’t roll off my tongue that Arsenal are in it.
“Wolves are a dark horse but I don’t see Arsenal being a dark horse.”
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