Our tipster paints the picture of Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang's worrying numbers and makes a strong case for Bukayo Saka to score first for Arsenal at Manchester United
Sunday 1 November 2020 17:21, UK
Jones Knows has two bets to attack this weekend across the Premier League as a big-price first goalscorer tickles his fancy, as do Burnley at home to Chelsea.
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If Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang is 7/2 to score first in Sunday's live encounter from Old Trafford then Bukayo Saka simply must be backed at 18/1. On current form, positional play and the underlying numbers, Saka carries much more of a goalscoring threat than Aubameyang but is nearly five times the price. That's juicy value ladies and gentlemen.
Aubameyang scored a delightful curling effort in Arsenal's Premier League season opener at Fulham but since signing his new deal, three days after that match, he has gone off the boil in the Premier League.
Mikel Arteta's main man has looked lost in recent performances, whether that would be out on the left, a position he made his own during a hot spell after the resumption, or more centrally as seen against Leicester last weekend. As you can see below (highlighted yellow), his average position during that encounter was more akin to a defensive midfielder than a hotshot striker. He cut a frustrated figure and was going searching for the ball in places that wasted his talents.
Aubameyang takes up a fair chunk of the first goalscorer market but his numbers have taken a big nosedive since signing his bumper new contract on September 15, has he lost his edge? He has not scored in five matches now. But more worryingly, the numbers suggest there has been a huge drop off across all the vital metrics when assessing the striker's performance.
So, how do we go about profiting from Aubameyang's false position in the goalscoring markets? Well, Saka is the man to concentrate on.
Saka's position in a counter-attacking role down the left is a tricky one for opposition players to track with the youngster very clever with his movement into the box. Since Aubameyang signed his deal, Saka is averaging the most shots per game than any Arsenal player (2.72) and is having over twice as many touches in the opposition box than Aubameyang.
He found the net against Sheffield United - at 18/1 it is worth finding out if he can double his tally for the season by scoring first on Sunday.
