Arsenal: Alexandre Lacazette must earn keep; teammates must help him

Alexandre Lacazette has returned to training ahead of Arsenal’s crucial Europa League quarter-final against CSKA Moscow. It’s time for the Frenchman to earn his keep, though his teammates must help him to do so.

When Alexandre Lacazette was signed for a club-record £47 million last summer, it was assumed that he would take on the mantle of Arsenal’s lead centre-forward, spearheading the attack, providing a truly world-class element to their strikeforce that had been absent ever since the 2012 departure of Robin van Persie.

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Little did we know, back then, that within just six short months, not only would his transfer record be broken, but it would be broken by a player who plays the very same position in a very comparable manner, if with slight deviations here and there.

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The arrival of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang must certainly have been an unwelcome shock for Lacazette, who probably quickly realised that the remainder of his season would be resigned to bench roles and the Europa League, a competition that Aubameyang cannot play in thanks to Borussia Dortmund’s participation after slipping down from the Champions League. Now, however, if there was one competition that any Arsenal player would want to play in, it is unquestionably the one that Lacazette will lead the line in.

The Frenchman, after undergoing minor surgery, has returned to training during the international break. He has not yet featured in any capacity since his return — I would anticipate that he makes an appearance against Stoke City on Sunday from off the bench to give him some match minutes — but he is expected to start against CSKA Moscow in the first leg of the Europa League quarter-finals in just over a week’s time.

In the period before the knee surgery, Lacazette was visibly struggling. His form has drastically deteriorated, the confidence had seeped away, and it is not ridiculous to think that the signing of Aubameyang made him question his place at the club and his standing in the squad. Consequently, he is yet to truly deliver on his price tag — he has certainly shown that he has the ability to do so, but hasn’t quite put it all together. The time is now for Lacazette to earn his keep.

That said, he must be helped to do so by his teammates. A striker, especially one of Lacazette’s ilk who likes to play as a lone centre-forward and only truly comes alive in and around the penalty area, is dependent on their supply. If the team around them cannot provide ample and quality service, then goals will be extremely hard to come by, as Lacazette has discovered this season.

While he himself has not played quite at the standard that was perhaps expected of him, he has not exactly been helped those around him. Service has been in short supply. The ball has moved ponderously, without the usual pizzazz of an Arsene Wenger team. Passes have lacked precision and attacking intent. Touches have slowed the tempo. Crosses have been high and aimless. None of these are what Lacazette feasts on.

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And so, the two must work hand-in-hand. Lacazette must earn his keep; Lacazette’s teammates must allow him to earn his keep. The Europa League is now the key to this season. Lacazette might well be the one in possession of it.