Arsenal and Alexandre Lacazette: Flexibility must work for everyone

Unai Emery has stated that Alexandre Lacazette may not play against Everton on Sunday because of tactical flexibility. Working in different systems is applicable to all in the Arsenal squad.

The role of Unai Emery’s preferred system has not yet been revealed this season. With both Sevilla and Paris Saint-Germain, his two previous teams, Emery has tended to utilise a 4-3-3 shape with three well-rounded central midfielders, a strong centre-forward and two high-and-wide wingers. At Arsenal, though, that shape has very rarely been used.

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Part of that is due to the personnel limitations of the squad. Mesut Ozil does not fit that central midfield set-up, there aren’t any wingers capable of playing the wide striker role, and Emery has expressed doubts over the full-backs, especially in Hector Bellerin’s absence.

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But another aspect of Emery veering away from his usual set-up is tactical flexibility. He wants his team to be tactically flexible, to take on a series of shapes and systems to help face specific opponents. This week, Emery was asked about whether Alexandre Lacazette would play against Everton on Sunday. His answer was very revealing:

"“Each match is different and in each match, we might play with three, or four, or five in defence. It depends above all on our quality with the players. We need every player, every striker, Lacazette and Aubameyang. Sometimes they can both play, sometimes with one on the bench. It depends in the 90 minutes how we can respond tactically with one or two.”"

The question is getting at Emery’s apparent preference to play with a single centre-forward. But with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Lacazette both playing excellently throughout the year, contributing to over 40 goals and assists in the league, Emery has tended to abandon his preference and move to a two-striker set-up.

Emery could be drawn into saying that he prefers one of Lacazette or Aubameyang. Instead, he flips the question on its head, focusing on the need to be tactically flexible, a key characteristic that he wants from all of his players, including Lacazette. There is no one in the Arsenal squad that is exempt from the need to be versatile.

That includes Lacazette. He must prove that he can play in a lone centre-forward role, in a front two, on the counter-attack, with his back to the goal, or with wide attackers in front of him as Roberto Firmino does for Liverpool. So far this season, Lacazette has done nothing to prove that he cannot play in several different styles, but Emery is ensuring that his players, all of his players, understand the need to be flexible.

Emery may not have been able to use his ideal system much this season. That will come with time and recruitment. But he is ensuring that his players are versatile, and that goes for every single one of them.