Arsenal: Alexandre Lacazette must be allowed to win

Arsenal have to face the unavoidable situation of Alexandre Lacazette vs Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang again, but one clarification must be made.

There is a reason why people are banking on the idea that Alexandre Lacazette may be doomed to either ship off this summer or fade away into the side competitions guy, perpetually Arsenal’s No. 2 in a world where he should rightfully be a No. 1 somewhere.

It’s because Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is one of those “unsittable” types. His name carries such a value, much like Mesut Ozil, that no matter what kind of form he is in, your hands are tied. What are you supposed to do, sit them?

Actually, yes. In the interest of building internal competition and making the most out of the resources we have – because we do have quite a healthy amount of resources – there needs to be a clarification made upon the return of Lacazette.

That clarification is simply that the striker position is up for grabs, no matter what your name is or you weekly wages.

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If Lacazette can’t beat out Aubameyang for that starting job, solely because of who the Gabonese striker is, then what’s the point? I’ll answer that for you – there isn’t one. It’s the same situation that Olivier Giroud fell into with Lacazette. There was never any chance of him taking the role.

So what was the point? There wasn’t one.

Seeing as how Wenger is never going to opt for a two-striker system so long as he lives, this takes on added importance. The whole premise of internal competition is that any player, no matter their status, has just as fair an opportunity to snatch a starting role as a superstar. All they have to do to win it is capitalize on an opportunity, or showcase superb form.

Granted, name value and potential has a big part to play. Aubameyang has the starting role as is, but if there is an occasion that Lacazette is looking the stronger of the two, and such an occasion will happen, mark my words, then there has to be the potential for Lacazette to be awarded the role and Aubameyang moved to the bench.

Isn’t that what Manchester City are doing with Aguero and Gabriel? Neither owns the starting role, it’s just a matter of who is healthy and who’s firing. It’s rotated throughout the season. That is what we need to mimic.

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Because, I’ll ask it again, if Lacazette is barred from ever having that role barring injury, then what’s the point?

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