Arsenal: There has to be a better approach with Alexandre Lacazette

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 05: Alexandre Lacazette of Arsenal celebrates after scoring his team's second goal during the Premier League match between Manchester United and Arsenal FC at Old Trafford on December 5, 2018 in Manchester, United Kingdom. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 05: Alexandre Lacazette of Arsenal celebrates after scoring his team's second goal during the Premier League match between Manchester United and Arsenal FC at Old Trafford on December 5, 2018 in Manchester, United Kingdom. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)

Arsenal yet again didn’t start Alexandre Lacazette, and it just seems like such a silly waste of resources. There has to be another way.

Arsenal haven’t started Alexandre Lacazette in three straight matches, and his involvement is beginning to mirror the start of the season, when he was used primarily as a sub to add some late life to a match.

I totally understand the impetus there. I do. You want to have someone on the bench who you can introduce to give your team a big enough boost to either turn the tides, or see the match through. And with Danny Welbeck out indefinitely and Eddie Nketiah not trusted yet, that man is currently Alexandre Lacazette.

But surely there must be another way. Surely we don’t have to leave one of our best player sitting for hours at a time, waiting to see if he will even be needed.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has been good, but this season, he has always been better with Lacazette on the pitch with him. They have such a good chemistry that they seem to feed off each other.

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My thoughts before the Manchester United match were that Unai Emery was going to opt for a 3-5-2 and let both of his superstar strikers play. If anything, I thought maybe Aubameyang would be the impact sub at half time, as he had played so much recently.

Clearly I was wrong. And, for the record, I don’t want to come off as too negative. I mean, we should have beat United, but it is what it is, we still haven’t lost in 20 straight matches. I just can’t help but wonder what might have been different if Lacazette had been out there from the off.

I’m not exaggerating at all when I say that, to me, Lacazette is a far more impactful player than Aubameyang. Not in the goals department, obviously, but in every other. Lacazette just does more. And he isn’t as reliant on the fast breaks and bursts that can especially be found as a late introduction into matches.

Yes, I’m inferring that Aubameyang and Lacazette should swap roles. At least alternating, so that we can start to get a sense of what is working.

All this comes down to is the fact that Lacazette should perpetually be starting. It’s a waste to not have him out there. Honestly the same goes for Aubameyang. So just get us an able striker to be the late injection and everything will be fine.