Arsenal vs Watford: Alexandre Lacazette nearing unfathomable territory

Arsenal has been in search of a striker with the capabilities of Alexandre Lacazette for years, but is he actually defying all odds and fulfilling expectations?

Arsenal’s half-decade dependence on Olivier Giroud during his formative years left many supporters bewildered by the inconsistencies that could be allowed at striker on such a prestigious club.

Not just that, but when you spend three years failing to bid the right amount for the same guy, supporters get a bit jaded as well.

But we have him now. Alexandre Lacazette is here and despite Arsene Wenger‘s best efforts to “protect” him from the Premier League while he acclimates, he has become a regular in this starting XI with just six starts to his name,

It’s reached such a point that I have actually begun to wonder if Lacazette may well be going above and beyond what was expected of him, especially this early in his North London career.

My logic is simple – among all the selection crises and all the question marks hanging over various positions, not once have I stopped to consider if Lacazette should be out there. And this coming from the president of the Giroud fan club.

This is all because Lacazette is proving to be remarkably consistent and reliable. His goal tallies will improve, I’m not worried about that. The consistency that I’m talking about goes beyond that.

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He has been a consistent threat to the opposing goal, even when he doesn’t score. He has shown us that his abilities have translated pretty damn well from Ligue 1 and that he can be leaned on to do his duty.

He’s taking over two shots per game, creating a chance per game and only getting dispossessed once per game. That in and of itself is a healthy stat line for a striker of Lacazette’s caliber in the situation that he is in.

The only thing that is letting him down a bit is the cleanliness of his first touch, but that will come around as he continues to settle in.

To have no questions at forward – that is something unique. It is unfathomable territory, especially given how many people slated the chances of Lacazette fitting in right away. Four goals may not be the dream start, but again, as long as he keeps going on the trajectory that he is going, that will improve exponentially.

Next: 5 Key Players To Watch vs Watford

Of course, this was all helped on by Wenger’s ridiculous decision to sit Lacazette against Liverpool, a decision that showed just how important the forward is.

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