Deportivo La Coruna are back in La Liga after eight years away, and so far the story of their return is a familiar one: a veteran striker dragging his team to results almost by himself. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's goals have kept the promoted side unbeaten in the early going, though the points he has earned have come from draws rather than wins.

The latest was a 1-1 result away at Malaga, another newly promoted club. Aubameyang scored again, and Spanish coverage made the point plainly: he keeps defying his age, week after week, producing moments of quality that his teammates around him have not yet been able to match. The praise came with a clear caveat. He needs help, and he needs it soon.

The lone-striker trap

Aubameyang's early season is a case study in both the value and the danger of leaning on one forward. His finishing and movement are keeping Deportivo competitive against sides with deeper squads. But a striker operating largely on his own can only carry a team so far, and the reporting has been explicit that he has looked isolated, forced to create and finish without a genuine partner.

This is one of the most common structural problems in football at every level. A team's best goalscorer becomes the focal point, opponents load their defense against him, and without support runs or a second striker to occupy defenders, even an elite finisher gets starved of quality chances. The goals dry up not because the player declined but because the system asked too much of one man.

Why the draws sting

Deportivo's identity on their way up was built on grit and organization, and they have carried that into the top flight without much noise. But a promoted side that keeps drawing is a promoted side slowly falling behind in the survival race. At some point the team has to turn Aubameyang's goals into three points, and that means the players around him have to step up.

There was one hopeful thread in the coverage. The return of a young talent to the lineup, after a long spell out with injury, offered a glimpse of the support the team badly needs. A veteran finisher paired with fresh, creative legs is a far more dangerous proposition than a lone forward chasing scraps.

The coaching takeaway

For a US coach, this is a scenario you will meet constantly. You have one player who scores most of your goals, and the temptation is to build everything around getting him the ball and letting him work. The Deportivo example shows the ceiling of that approach. A great scorer who is isolated will eventually be smothered by a well-organized defense.

The fix is structural, not individual. Teach support runs into the box so your striker is never the only body in the danger zone. Coach your midfielders and wingers to arrive on the second ball. Give your best finisher a partner, whether that is a strike partner or a runner from deep, so defenders have to make a choice. Aubameyang can bend games on his own for a while, but no forward does it forever, and the coaches who plan for that are the ones whose scorers stay dangerous all season.