Arsenal: Everything is better with Alexandre Lacazette

Arsenal’s approach with Alexandre Lacazette is a bit odd, but one thing is certain: Everything just gets better when he is on the pitch.

I don’t know what it is (well, actually, I do, but we will get to that in a second), but whenever Alexandre Lacazette isn’t in the Arsenal starting XI, I feel a kind of quick-jab of anguish. Like a huge piece of the club is missing.

That’s because it is. When Lacazette isn’t on the pitch, the faculties of the club are severely limited, because no one can replicate what Lacazette brings.

Think about it. With Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang up top, we have a speed merchant with the occasionally brilliant finishing ability, but without service, without the proper involvement, he is quite limited. He isn’t a dribbler, he can create pretty well for team mates, but who is he even creating for if he is isolated up top?

Lacazette ties it all together. He adds depth to the attack, he gives Aubameyang more room to work with and less attention on him, he brings such a brilliant first touch, with so much ball security, in a position that you don’t normally have it.

He just makes everything better. The club ticks better, it’s more capable, more deadly, when Lacazette is on the pitch.

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I understand why Unai Emery opts to save him for substitutions. I really do. Because from the moment he is on the pitch, he changes the game. We saw it against Southampton, even if it didn’t work out in the end.

Having that ability to change a game that isn’t going your way is invaluable, and it is something that only Lacazette has been able to bring.

To go back to the ball control, it is in such a direct contrast to the likes of Aubameyang, Iwobi or Mkhitaryan – even Ozil – all of whom can get quite loose with possession, particularly in and around the opposing goal box.

Lacazette isn’t like that. I’m always amazed by how much control he has so close to the goal. His ability to keep hold and keep tabs on what’s going on around him opens up a whole new world of attacking play.

I’m not sure I would change anything about what Emery is doing with the attack, other than to keep experimenting. I just felt like gushing about Lacazette, because, while his goal numbers may not reach Aubameyang levels (or maybe they will), his faculties aside from that are truly special.