Arsenal: Time to rotate Alexandre Lacazette, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang?

Alexandre Lacazette is suspended for the Rennes tie in the Europa League. Is it time for Arsenal to rotate between him and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang with games at the weekend and in mid-week?

Alexandre Lacazette was getting increasingly frustrated. Service was slow and wayward. The BATE Borisov defence was deeply sat and biting at his every touch. Space was tight, chances were hard in coming, and Arsenal were losing a game that they should not have been.

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His sending off was a consequence of this growing infuriation. Things were not going well, he was getting worked up, and he ended up lashing out before hanging his head as he trudged off for an early bath.

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UEFA have since confirmed that his ban will extend through the last-16 tie versus French side Rennes. Lacazette will miss both matches. He also missed the second leg against BATE Borisov. In that match, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, his usual strike partner, started in the lone centre-forward role. Aubameyang had been ill and missed the trip to Huddersfield Town and sat on the bench during the first leg, with Lacazette playing in the lone centre-forward role.

The attack has looked a lot more dangerous with traditional wide players and a lone strike leading it, rather than the dual strikeforce of Aubameyang and Lacazette that Unai Emery has attempted to crowbar together throughout the season. I feel that Emery would rather play with just one up-front, but also believes that both Lacazette and Aubameyang must start given the talent of the other players in the squad.

Now that Lacazette will miss the next two Europa League matches, however, could there be an opportunity for Emery to focus on playing with a one-striker system and rotate Lacazette and Aubameyang between Premier League and Europa League fixtures?

Arsenal will still want to do well in both competitions. A top-four finish is not completely out of reach, while winning the Europa League would not only be a European trophy but another route into the Champions League. Keeping their two best goalscorers fresh for the remainder of the season makes a lot of sense, therefore, so that they can compete on two different fronts.

Moreover, if the Gunners look sharper with just one centre-forward on the pitch, perhaps it makes sense to experiment with that kind of shape. I can see why many may be a little hesitant to get on board with this idea. Lacazette and Aubameyang are probably Arsenal’s two best players. By that thinking, they should be starting every match.

But perhaps, just for a few weeks, while the matches stack up, — the team is at the start of a run of seven games in 22 days — why not try to keep Lacazette and Aubameyang fresh, compete on both fronts, and begin to install a more successful system?