Arsenal: Assertive Alexandre Lacazette doing well enough on his own

Arsenal had Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang stand up for starting Alexandre Lacazette, but the Frenchman is doing just fine making that point himself.

Arsenal‘s starting striker against Manchester City, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, has a special bond with Alexandre Lacazette that stems from their combination play last year. It has boasted such highlights as Aubameyang passing up the chance at a hat trick to give Lacazette a penalty and end his goal skid.

Aubameyang came out after the loss and told the world that he would be happy moving to the left wing if it meant that Lacazette could start alongside him. Meaning that either Mkhitaryan or Ozil would have to take a seat, but apparently that’s worth it.

This is all well and good, and as I’ve mentioned, Unai Emery should absolutely do everything necessary to get Lacazette out there, but for as sweet as Aubameyang’s sentiment is, Lacazette doesn’t need it.

Last year, we saw the many moods of Lacazette. At different times, he was incisive, he was flat, he was sharp and he was dejected. He hit the full range of the spectrum as he tried to lock himself into Premier League comfortability.

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It didn’t necessarily pan out to its fullest extent, but he still did quite well for himself.

That said, after just thirty minutes in the driver’s seat this season, we have seen a new Lacazette, who was like an improved version of his former self. Improved in that he looked hungrier than he ever has before.

Lacazette wasn’t coasting or loafing. He was nothing even close. He was the primary instigator on that attack form the moment he was introduced. He made it blindingly apparent that there would be no second-guessing where he belonged – and it wasn’t on the bench.

It was not a game that inspired a lot of confidence, so seeing Lacazette full of that exact thing was all that Unai Emery should have needed in order to make a key decision – to start Lacazette until something drastic happens to prove otherwise.

You may be wondering if you can really make this assertion after just thirty minutes, but you absolutely can. I don’t care which creative midfielder makes way, but somehow, someway, Lacazette needs to be out there for the foreseeable future.