Arsenal: Alexandre Lacazette compiles on fairy tale with defensive vow

Arsenal made dreams come true by signing Alexandre Lacazette, and he keeps piling on that fairy tale with words. He’s done it yet again.

Arsenal should have bought Alexandre Lacazette in 2013. 2014 at the latest. Unfortunately, we had to wait until 2017 but, fortunately, he’s here now. And now we can finally go forward with the striker we’ve all been dreaming of having for years.

The best part about this whole thing is that it keeps getting better. Not only is Lacazette acclimating well, fitting in with his team mates and showing no signs of faltering under the pressure of the most competitive league in the world, but as added icing on the already-iced cake, he continues to say all the right things.

He has been talking up convincing Antoine Griezmann to come to the Emirates recently. But most recently, he has told Rio Ferdinand some awesome stuff.

No, not what the headlines tell you – that he doesn’t have to defend. But what he said before that. That he wants to improve his defending. By his own free will, he wants to improve his defending. Without being told to.

I keep asking if it can get any better, but clearly it can because he continues to say all the right things to help further convince us that he is everything we could have ever asked for.

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There are several players on the club that do not want to defend and don’t. Theo Walcott had to be told to and he still doesn’t defend well at all. And Mesut Ozil? Well, let’s just say I don’t think he wants to defend either.

But the best part about all of this is, yet again, Lacazette is also showing us that he means it. I have seen the Frenchman tracking deep down the pitch to help defend, particularly when he has been at least partially responsible for the loss of possession.

Want more proof? Lacazette has attempted the sixth most tackles on the team – 14. The only players who have attempted more are our two holding midfielders Granit Xhaka and Aaron Ramsey and then Nacho Monreal, Sead Kolasinac and Shkodran Mustafi.

In fact, of all the forwards in the big bad Premier League, no other striker has attempted more tackles than Lacazette. The effort is there. When the results follow, watch out.

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Saying it is one thing. He can want to improve his defending all he wants, but if he isn’t actively trying, we have no reason to believe him. He is trying. Meaning that yet again we have one more reason to be thrilled about who Lacazette is as a player. Huzzah!

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