OPINION
There are many great strike partnerships in football and having a pair of clinical forwards can be the difference between success and failure.
Arsenal travelled to Valencia on Thursday knowing that if they avoided defeat they would qualify for the Europa League final – they did just that thanks to their prolific partnership of Alexander Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
Aubameyang scored a hat-trick with his partner Lacazette scoring the other as the Gunners won 4-2 at the Mestalla Stadium winning the tie 7-3 on aggregate.
Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live, Don Hutchinson claimed there isn’t a better strike partnership in world football than the Arsenal duo but that, quite simply, is not correct.
? Lacazette x Aubameyang ?
? Best strike partnership in the world? @donhutch4 thinks so
Listen ? https://t.co/8HCk79SoQS #UEL #bbcfootball #VALARS pic.twitter.com/VwMETUYqN6
— BBC 5 Live Sport (@5liveSport) May 9, 2019
To be considered as one of the best partnerships in world football, you have to have contributed continued success at your club and Arsenal have endured two poor seasons now with their marquee front two winning no silverware.
There is no doubt that Lacazette and Aubameyang are a great partnership but their 33 league goals are eclipsed by two front lines in the Premier League alone, never mind throughout world football.
Sadio Mane and Mo Salah have recorded 42 goals for Liverpool whereas Raheem Sterling and Sergio Aguero have scored 37, not to mention those dazzling up front in Europe’s other top divisions.
For Lacazette and Aubameyang to be even considered amongst these forwards, they need to perform much more consistently when playing together in an Arsenal side that has failed to win over many critics under Unai Emery.