Mikel Arteta insists that Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang will remain on penalty duty for Arsenal despite missing his last two efforts from the spot.
The Gunners captain fluffed his lines from 12 yards during a narrow 1-0 victory over Watford, having previously done likewise in a 3-1 win against Aston Villa on October 22.
Questions have been asked of whether the Gabonese striker should be made to step aside, allowing Alexandre Lacazette to take over, but Arteta says he has no intention of tinkering with his plans.
What has been said?
Asked about whether Aubameyang will remain Arsenal’s go-to man from the sport, Arteta told reporters: “He will stay on penalties if he's happy to do so.
“It's part of your career and job to miss penalties and we will try to help him.”
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Aubameyang vs Lacazette
Aubameyang has, since joining Arsenal in January 2018, taken 15 penalties for the Gunners.
Of those, he has successfully converted 10 and missed five, with his last goal from the spot coming in a Premier League clash with Leeds on February 14.
Lacazette, meanwhile, has never failed from 12 yards when entrusted with penalty duty for the north London heavyweights.
He has only taken eight spot-kicks for Arsenal, but every one of those has hit the back of the net.
The France international has only been allowed to step up on one occasion this season, with that solitary effort coming in a Carabao Cup win over AFC Wimbledon.
He did score four penalties last season, though, and would be an obvious choice to take over from Aubameyang if a tactical change is made.
Lacazette is, however, running his current contract down towards free agency and is not guaranteed a regular starting berth under Arteta.