Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has defended Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang against pundits' criticism.
Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher were brutal in their assessment of Arsenal's form and labelled the Gunners "embarrassing" after their 3-0 Premier League defeat by Liverpool at the Emirates.
Speaking ahead of his side's Europa League semi-final second leg against Villarreal, Arteta said: "They (Carragher and Neville) are all the time free to talk.
"My job and responsibility is to protect our players and to get the maximum out of it.
"They can comment sometimes without knowing all the details.
"He played well (at Newcastle on Sunday) and he felt much better than the days before that. Scoring a goal is really important for him so he's in a good place."
