Arsenal Vs Spurs: Ways to deal with Alexandre Lacazette absence

Alexandre Lacazette is still a doubt for Sunday’s North London Derby. If he is unable to feature or start, here are some ways in which Arsenal could adopt their tactics.

Arsenal host Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday afternoon. It is the first North London Derby of the season. It is also Unai Emery’s first experience of the rivalry. And he may have to prepare a team for this crucial match without his star striker.

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Alexandre Lacazette has been dealing with a niggling issue for the past two weeks, first pulling out of the national France squad and then dropping out of the matchday squad altogether for Sunday’s 2-1 win over Bournemouth.

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It still remains to be seen whether Lacazette is fit enough to feature or not. But if he isn’t, it is worth considering the potential options that Emery has available him, and the one that he is most likely to go with, should it come to that.

The most obvious impact will be Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s move into the centre-forward position. But what will happen around him is a little more uncertain. If Emery persists with the 4-2-3-1 formation that he tends to use with Lacazette and Aubameyang both present, Henrikh Mkhitaryan would likely replace him on the right side, with Alex Iwobi shifting over to the left.

That is perhaps the more likely route as Mkhitaryan did not play a minute of the midweek Europa League match against Voksla Poltava, even though he did travel with the squad.

However, as proven last weekend in the trip to Bournemouth, it is plausible that Emery could employ a 3-4-3 shape. This is especially possible with the presence of Sead Kolasinac, a wingback rather than more of a traditional fullback, and the fact that Rob Holding was withdrawn shortly after the hour mark in midweek.

The team that played against Bournemouth, perhaps with Ozil replacing Mkhitaryan, could match up well with this Spurs side. It has the shape and personnel to sit deep and play on the counter-attack, something that may suit Arsenal in this match, especially if they do not have Lacazette to call on.

The XI that Emery wants to play seems fairly clear: the eleven starting players that did not travel to Kiev. But if Lacazette is not able to play, then the picture does become a little murkier. Having options is a good thing, a sign of strength in depth. But they are useless if Emery does not pick the right one for the right match.

Arsenal will be more effective with Lacazette in the team. He is an excellent player. But Emery has avenues available to him if the Frenchman cannot play, and they are not completely terrible ones to use.