Arsenal: Alexandre Lacazette needs to settle the score

Arsenal’s two world-class forwards were neck and neck all year, but it’s time for Alexandre Lacazette to strike back against Wolverhampton.

Arsenal continue trucking right along, looking for their 16th unbeaten match in a row as they welcome Wolverhampton to the Emirates for a post-Liverpool cool down. They were held scoreless against Sporting CP at home in midweek, but the injury to Danny Welbeck was widely seen as the moment that deflated the game and made it a stalemate.

Meaning there may well be a lot of pent up energy going up against Wolverhampton, and it’s Alexandre Lacazette who needs it most.

The Frenchman has been one of, if not the top player at the club thus far into the season, earning his way back into the starting XI as the No. 9 and holding onto it with so much more than just goal production.

That said, his little internal competition with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was a thrilling thing to watch, as the two were matched goal for goal in every single match this season up until lately.

More from Pain in the Arsenal

• 3 standout players from 1-0 victory over Everton
• 3 positives & negatives from Goodison Park victory
• Arsenal vs PSV preview: Prediction, team news & lineups
• 3 talking points from Arsenal’s victory at Goodison Park
• Mikel Arteta provides Gabriel Martinelli injury update after Everton win

Lacazette has fallen into a bit of a scoring drought, only managing one goal in his last four appearances (three starts). Prior to the mini-drought, he had four goals and two assists in his previous five appearances (three starts also).

However, it’s not like he’s been bad. His use has always gone beyond the goal production, but his goals do always manage to come in bursts as well. And those bursts usually have a little something to do with confidence.

That goal he scored against Liverpool was an absolute beauty, a work of art, and if that didn’t get his confidence back up, I’m not sure what will. After a dud or two leading into the match, scoring that equalizer was huge and it will hopefully give him the push to go into this match against Wolverhampton and level the goal scoring field with Aubameyang.

Ideally, that will mean Auba gets one and Laca gets a hat trick, which will see them level, as well as tied for the league lead, but I won’t get too crazy. I just want that internal competition firing up again, and that falls on Lacazette to answer back.

Wolverhampton should be prime to surrender a few goals. After that goal against Liverpool, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Laca sneak in there and bag a brace. From there, it’s all level again.