Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang became the latest player to be substituted into the game and then removed from it throughout the course of the same contest.
Being substituted on and off multiple times within the same game is one of the most embarrassing things that can happen in football.
During Thursday night’s match between Chelsea and Manchester City, which Chelsea lost 1-0, Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang got a firsthand look into what it’s like to be in that position. The international player from Gabon was brought on to replace Raheem Sterling five minutes into the match after Sterling suffered a hamstring injury. Sterling would ultimately be hauled out of the game just over an hour later.
Graham Potter has given the 33-year-old only four starts in the Premier League, and he has become a permanent presence on the bench in recent weeks as Kai Havertz has been favored to start in the forward position. Aubameyang was recruited in to work alongside Thomas Tuchel. But Tuchel was fired just a few days after the forward moved to Stamford Bridge.
After getting off to a strong start with the Blues by scoring in Potter’s first Premier League game in charge of Chelsea, which resulted in a 2-1 victory over Crystal Palace, Aubameyang has seen limited playing time, especially since the World Cup break. This is in spite of the fact that he scored in Potter’s first Premier League game in charge of Chelsea. However, as a result of Sterling’s injury, he was given an opportunity to demonstrate his worth essentially from the moment the game began.
It is safe to assume that the striker who formerly played for Arsenal did not accept it. Aubameyang was playing the center forward position all by himself and only had 14 touches on the ball during his 63 minutes of action on the field. Out of those touches, he completed 10 passes, had one touch inside the City box, but he was unable to get a shot off at any point.
Aubameyang did not provide much assistance defensively, either, as he won one duel and committed one foul over the course of the game. Omari Hutchinson came on as a substitute for the forward in the 67th minute, marking the young player’s first appearance in a professional game. Despite the forward’s best efforts up front, his time on the field was cut short.
It was a very harsh statement that was made about Aubameyang, who was substituted by a guy who had never participated in a senior game before. With a quarter of the game still to play, Potter opted to replace the attacker who was attacking with Hutchinson. If it had been because of an injury or illness, then it would have been reasonable.
With City leading 1-0 thanks to a goal scored by Riyad Mahrez in the second half, Chelsea had a mountain to climb and they were unable to claw themselves back into the game as Pep Guardiola’s men closed the gap on Arsenal to just five points at the top of the table. Chelsea’s loss allowed City to close the gap to just five points at the top of the table. In the meantime, Chelsea is currently in tenth place, and Potter is facing increasing amounts of pressure.
In regards to Aubameyang, his snub was a summary of where he is at in his career right now despite the fact that he praised the then-new Chelsea boss back in September. He said: “My opinion is that Harry Potter is a wonderfully upbeat individual and a fantastic persona. We are going to make an effort to learn from him and win as quickly as we can. I believe that his thoughts are quite understandable, and as a result, I believe that this task will be simple. It takes time to get used to one another, but I believe everything will work out in the end.”