Arsenal: Alexandre Lacazette needs to confront himself before anyone else

Alexandre Lacazette is still trying to find his way at Arsenal, but before he goes “confronting” anyone else, he needs to confront himself.

Arsenal have two elite strikers and, thanks to archaic tactics, only enough room to play one (in position, anyways). Alexandre Lacazette had half a season to play with before he was joined by someone with a bigger reputation – Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

Now, Lacazette has been pushed to the side, as Aubameyang has started the last two games, with Lacazette scoring just one goal in his last 13 appearances. It’s an ordinary thing, just a regular case of the Premier League struggles.

The best thing for Lacazette to do is ride out the tough times and do his best to put it all behind him and focus on playing the game in its simplest form.

Rio Ferdinand thinks otherwise. Ferdinand isn’t someone I find myself agreeing with very often when it comes to his opinions about Arsenal. And that is where we are today, although at the very least I understand where he is coming from this time. According to Ferdinand, Lacazette needs to confront Wenger. Here’s what the former Manchester United man had to say:

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"It’s down to Lacazatte to say ‘I’m here to fight, play me or Aubameyang … I’m worth my weight in gold."

It’s an admirable position to take for Lacazette, to stand up, confront the boss, and assert yourself into the position that has seemingly been taken from you. Only that’s not the person Lacazette should be confronting. He needs to confront himself first and foremost.

You can tell a boss that you’re here to fight all you want, but until you actually buckle down and show it on the pitch, it doesn’t matter. Arsenal are past the point of leaving guys out there based on nothing but blind faith (unless your name is Alex Iwobi). The best way, ideally the only way, to get back onto the pitch consistently is to perform at a level that merits it.

Against Tottenham, Lacazette made two fantastic runs but he missed both chances, so the runs didn’t count for anything. I don’t hold it against him. He’s human, humans make mistakes, especially when their confidence is being eaten away.

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But it falls on Lacazette to prove himself again, not on Wenger to throw him back out there over Aubameyang just because. Lacazette will have his opportunities, now he just has to take them. That’s all.