Aubameyang, Guendouzi and Ceballos' Top Stats as Arsenal's MVPs After 8 Matches

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang remains something of a one-man band when it comes to carrying the goalscoring load for Arsenal. The Gunners' leading scorer has a strong case to justify being called the club's most valuable player after eight Premier League matches this season.

If there is a worthy rival, it would be midfielder Matteo Guendouzi. The 20-year-old showed flashes of potential last season, but he has started his second campaign in north London in near-flawless form.

Guendouzi has been the beating heart of a midfield still mired in transition and that is not short of industry but occasionally lacking the creative touch. Head coach Unai Emery continually overlooking languid schemer Mesut Ozil has left Real Madrid loanee Dani Ceballos with the responsibility of adding some much-needed artistry to the Gunners' play going forward.

Aubameyang's Notable Stats

• 7 goals
• 3.1 shots per game
• 0.9 key passes per game

There isn't much Aubameyang hasn't done to drag Arsenal over the line during the first eight games of the league campaign. He matched the exploits of a club legend by scoring seven times in as many matches to start the season:

Among those goals were winners against Newcastle United, Burnley and Aston Villa as well as equalisers against Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United. Aubameyang's last goal earned a point at Old Trafford and put him in select company among the division's deadliest marksmen since he arrived from Borussia Dortmund in the winter of 2018.

While he didn't score during Sunday's 1-0 win over Bournemouth, the 30-year-old is the main reason a Gunners side that hasn't always impressed sits third and just a point adrift of Manchester City.

Aubameyang is also Arsenal's highest-scoring fantasy player, having accrued 55 points, a whopping 28 more than his closest team-mates, per the FPL official website.

He's been a major success, but there is a danger of Emery's team becoming too reliant on the main man up top. Since the next top scorer is injured strike partner Alexandre Lacazette, who has two goals in three matches, it's obvious Arsenal can ill afford to be without Aubameyang this season.

Guendouzi's Notable Stats

• 1 assist
• 2 tackles per game
• 1.4 interceptions per game
• 1.8 clearances per game
• 0.4 blocks per game
• 0.9 key passes per game
• 57.6 passes per game
• 87.4 percent pass success rate
• 0.8 shots per game

The statistics show how busy Guendouzi has been so far. He's often been the driving force for an Arsenal team sometimes guilty of not showing enough impetus to stay on the front foot during matches.

Guendouzi has improved the range and accuracy of his passing while showing a greater willingness to attempt the difficult ball intended to unlock defences.

It hasn't all been about attack, though, with the former FC Lorient prospect becoming a consistent ball-winner in the midfield scrap. Guendouzi was at his most tenacious during the 1-1 draw with United:

He's become so important he has consistently kept Lucas Torreira out of Emery's preferred starting XI in the league. Instead, the young Frenchman is rapidly becoming the linchpin Arsenal can use to help finally build a long-overdue and more secure spine.

Guendouzi's performances have him set for stardom and also have some wishing his development could have been monitored by Emery's predecessor:

Arsene Wenger would have encouraged more daring play from Guendouzi, but the youngster is thriving doing most of the unfashionable yet necessary work Emery needs to make Arsenal tougher to break down.

Ceballos' Notable Stats

• 2 assists
• 0.9 shots per game
• 1.1 key passes per game
• 1.4 dribbles per game
• 89 percent pass success rate

Ceballos has appeared in danger of becoming a one-hit wonder for the Gunners. His exceptional performance against Burnley in the second game of the season hinted at great things to come:

The Spaniard hasn't quite delivered on the early promise since, being in and out of the team. However, a closer look at his key statistics reveals his importance.

He's one of the few players in Emery's midfield capable of playing between the lines. His key pass and overall success rate reveal an efficient technician not afraid to probe for openings instead of settling for safe, square passes.

Meanwhile, Ceballos' dribbling numbers prove he is the lone player in the middle able to carry the ball past markers and get out of crowds. Arsenal need those qualities to help drag players out of position and create spaces for Aubameyang and others in behind.

No other player has more assists than Ceballos managed on his first full start, so Emery would be wise to make the 23-year-old the creative fulcrum of his team, a role he apparently doesn't want to bestow on Ozil.

Emery wants a pressing team, but too much graft and not enough flair will soon leave Arsenal predictably one-dimensional. It's why Ceballos may surpass Aubameyang and Guendouzi as the Gunners' outright most valuable player as the season progresses.

All statistics courtesy of WhoScored.com