Gabon captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and why he was dropped from Arsenal North London derby win over Tottenham
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta told Sky Sports ahead of the north London derby that Aubameyang would not be involved from the start, although he was named on the bench; Arsenal beat Tottenham 2-1 at Emirates Stadium in Premier League
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was left out of the Arsenal starting XI to play Tottenham in the north London derby after a disciplinary breach.
Gunners boss Mikel Arteta confirmed the news to Sky Sports ahead of the game at the Emirates, which Arsenal went on to win 2-1.
Arteta refused to reveal the reasons behind his captain’s omission but did confirm he was originally scheduled to start in attack, with Alexandre Lacazette getting the nod instead.
“We have drawn the line, we move on, and he is on the bench,” said Arteta.
“We have a process for every game that we have to respect. It was a decision made after evaluating everything and who Auba is and what he’s done.
“We have other players who can play. Recently we have changed the team quite a lot and there are players who are willing to play and deserve a chance, so I’m comfortable with that.”
After the match, Arteta played down Aubameyang’s absence, saying: “Because we have a way of living together, we have to respect each other and that’s it but he is an incredible guy.
“He’s one of the most important players in the team, he’s our captain, but these things happen. We move forward and we enjoy the victory tonight.
“We have a lot of things going on in our lives, people are finding it difficult to handle a lot of the restrictions and it’s part of our job.”
When asked if the striker had arrived late for the game, a theory put forward by former Arsenal player Freddie Ljungberg in the studio prior to the game, Arteta said: “I will never tell anything that happens in the dressing room. I can tell you the reason but not the facts.”
