Arsenal Vs West Ham: Alexandre Lacazette confidence the number one

Arsenal ran out comfortable winners against West Ham United on Sunday afternoon. The most important consequence from the win, though, is the burgeoning confidence of Alexandre Lacazette.

Before Alexandre Lacazette’s two-month injury layoff earlier in the year thanks to a knee problem, the most concerning aspect of his play was not the lack of quality on show, but the manner in which it was presented.

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This was an individual who had lost all confidence in his own ability. His shoulders were slouched, his head dropped, his decision-making and execution lacking the conviction that you expect a player of his talent to have. He looked like he didn’t want to be on the pitch, as if the extended absence was a time of relief, not just recovery.

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Strikers are certainly more prone to fluctuating form based on their mental state. Olivier Giroud, for instance, was always a player who looked very different depending on whether he was in a good run of form or not. Lacazette, similarly, seems to struggle when the goals dry up. It is good news for Arsenal, then, that since his return from the knee injury, the Frenchman has been somewhat prolific, continuing that streak in Sunday’s 4-1 win over West Ham United.

In the four games that he has started, Lacazette has scored five goals, failing to score in just one of those games — the 2-2 draw against CSKA Moscow in the second leg of the Europa League quarter-final. Additionally, he has made two more substitute appearances, scoring from the penalty spot against Stoke City upon his return. Six goals in six games and 379 minutes of football is excellent going.

And for Arsenal, that is the most important thing to come out of their West Ham win. While the adulation for Arsene Wenger will take the headlines, and rightly so, in regards to the football that is left to play this season, all rests on the upcoming double-legged tie with Atletico Madrid.

Pierre-Emerick Auabameyang, as we all know, is cup-tied and unavailable for selection. As such, the striking responsibility rests solely on the shoulders of Lacazette, supported by a tireless and industrious, if a little lacking, Danny Welbeck and extremely young and inexperienced Eddie Nketiah.

It is vital that Lacazette is at his best for the Gunners on Thursday. Atletico pose a unique defensive threat — they have had one of the best defensive records in world football for several years, brilliantly drilled by Diego Simeone and marshalled by Diego Godin — and they will be difficult to break down.

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But Arsenal’s attack is far more potent if Lacazette is fit and firing. And so the importance of confidence. Lacazette is a confidence player and, currently, he is full of it. That is the number one thing to come from the weekend’s win, and it is most welcome.