When Barcelona’s signing of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang became official this past January transfer window, few football fans were anticipating the excellent performances that the Gabonese striker has offered in his first 3 months at the Camp Nou.
At the MBP School of Coaches, we are going to tactically analyze the Culé striker, focusing on how he has gone about scoring 9 goals and contirbuting 1 assist during his first 11 games.
We will look at which game fundamentals he is excelling in, and how this is helping Xavi Hernandez’s team as a collective.
Individual Analysis
If Aubameyang has stood out for anything since his arrival, it is his goalscoring ability. The striker has shown great intelligence in the box by always knowing which spaces to attack.
Through the application of the striker’s individual fundamental (IFP) ‘Attacking the most effective spaces for finishing’, Aubameyang is able to receive balls in free spaces inside the opponent’s penalty area unmarked.
Likewise, the striker knows how to merge the previous IFP with the fundamental of ‘Attacking the ball forward as early as possible during its trajectory’.
Thanks to the application of the two IFPs in a merged way, Aubameyang can lose his direct defender, managing to finish with enough time and space while also making himself more clinical in front of goal.
Another of the fundamentals that he applies consistently is the one for the forward line ‘Dismarking into the inside spaces in the face of an imbalance in the defensive line’.
Due to FC Barcelona’s game model, and the whole team’s ability to attract their opposition markers to create spatial imbalances, the striker is finding a number of situations in which to apply the fundamental.
In addition, Aubameyang has gelled quickly with his teammates.
This allows him to have a perfect timing between the run and the teammate’s pass, avoiding going too early and being caught offside.
Impact on the Collective
Starting from the center forward position in the GK-4-3-3 structure that Xavi has used since he took the reings at the club, Aubameyang is the main player responsible for guaranteeing the team’s attacking depth, together with the two wingers.
Furthermore, the striker has become integral in the development of one of the key concepts within the Barca game model: the 3rd man.
The Gabonese forward knows when he has to offer continuity support and passing lines to players located in the first or second line, to then be able to lay off to teammates who previously were not an option.
Finally, the presence of ‘Auba’ in the team has had an indirect impact on the improved performances of Ousmane Dembélé.
The pair shared a dressing room at Borussia Dortmund, and it seems that the strong form they showed then is being replicated in the capital of Catalonia.
Conclusion
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has rejuvenated his career at the Catalan team.
As we have seen in the analysis, the Gabonese player is producing sensational performances and achieving spectacular numbers, in addition to having a great collective impact on the whole side.
At the MBP School of Coaches, we will be sure to closely follow Aubameyang’s performance at FC Barcelona during the remaining months of the season, in anticipation of whether the forward can maintain these high levels.
