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Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta insists that even captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang should not automatically earn a place in his team as he looks to turn the Gunners fortune around.
Aubameyang has not travelled with the squad for Thursday’s Europa League dead-rubber against Dundalk.
Arsenal are already through to the knockout stages and have clinched top spot in Group B after a 100% record.
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But same cannot be said of their domestic for where Arteta is struggling to find a solution to poor form and lacklustre performances.
Arsenal are 15th in the Premier League after their sixth loss in 11 games this season to Tottenham.
One of the main problems has been a lack of goals; only the current bottom three have scored fewer than Arsenal’s 10 so far.
What’s more, Aubameyang has not scored from open play in the league since the opening weekend.
Arteta said he has resisted the temptation to take the striker to Dundalk to try to improve his form.
However, his recent blip does not mean he has an automatic place in his Premier League XI.
“No one is undroppable at the end of the day,” the Spaniard told reporters at his pre-match press conference.
“You have to find the right players to win football matches but we cannot forget what Auba has done for this club and what he’s done in recent months – not years ago.
“And as well because I see how he is training, how he is behaving and how much he wants to turn the situation around.”
