Arsenal: Alexandre Lacazette France snub no bad thing

Alexandre Lacazette was not named to France’s squad for this week’s international break. The snub, though, is no bad thing for Arsenal whatsoever.

The World Cup was strange from an Arsenal perspective. Usually a team littered with talent that ripples throughout the competition, the club only sent eight players to this summer’s iteration. Only one of those eight made it to the quarter-finals, that being Danny Welbeck, who played a total of 11 minutes throughout the totality of the competition.

Catch the latest episode of the Pain in the Arsenal podcast right here

Essentially, the individual talent on the team is not quite as high as it used to be — prior to the summer, the Gunners actually held the record for the most players sent to a World Cup before Manchester City broke it.

More from Pain in the Arsenal

And there is now another instance of where an Arsenal player is being overlooked by his national team: After being left at home during the summer, Alexandre Lacazette is again on the outside of the squad.

When asked about the decision to leave out Lacazette once again, even after a promising start to the season at club level, Didier Deschamps said:

"“There is competition for each position. When the players who were at the World Cup are performing well <…> It is not a question of type of player, but of position. I need balance in the squad and he is a central attacker. He must continue.”"

Lacazette is clearly not a factor for Deschamps and his France squad. But that is no bad thing for Unai Emery and Arsenal.

Akin to Mesut Ozil and his retirement from the German national team, Lacazette’s lack of involvement is a good thing for the club. He is set to play substantially throughout the season and will be relied upon as the lone centre-forward for almost every Premier League match. Having weeks of rest during these international breaks is absolutely perfect.

Lacazette also plays with a physical, testing style. He is not injury prone per se, although he did suffer an ailing knee injury last season, but he is not afraid to throw his body into challenges and duel with powerful, strapping centre-backs. He will tire out as the season progresses, so having these periods of rest will be hugely beneficial to his long-term sharpness.

Obviously, it is a shame individually for Lacazette, who I am sure is disappointed that he is not being involved on the international stage, especially if it means that he will miss future tournaments like the World Cup and European Championships.

But for the team, the rest that Lacazette will be provided could be invaluable for this team, especially later in the season. There is still a long way to go and it’s important that Arsenal look after the long-term fate of their players, rather than merely running them into the ground. It’s a good thing, then, that Lacazette has a week off every now and then.