Arsenal: Alexandre Lacazette must suck it up

Alexandre Lacazette has publicly hinted at his unhappiness at his playing time. The Arsenal striker, though, must suck it up for the betterment of the team.

Every decision that every manager makes will almost always be in what he believes to be the best interest of the club. That does not mean that the decision made is the best one, but it does mean that every manager wants the best for his football club. And sometimes, he will make decisions that anger those around him.

Find the latest episode of the Pain in the Arsenal Podcast here — Pragmatism, clean sheets, and Unai Emery

One of the clearest instances of a manager’s decisions unsettling those he works with is how he manages the playing time of his players. Every player wants to play every minute of every match. But the team would not be at its best if the same eleven players played every minute of the season. The manager, therefore, for the betterment of the club, must sometimes upset his players.

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This week, Arsenal centre-forward Alexandre Lacazette has been subtly complaining at his inconsistent game time and early substitutions:

"“I am happy when I play, of course, like any player. When I’m on the pitch, of course there is joy. On the field and off, I keep smiling. You have to smile in life. I do one of the most beautiful jobs in the world, even if I could be even happier.”"

Lacazette is not outright challenging Unai Emery, his manager, decisions — not publicly anyway. But he is hinting at his frustration at his inconsistent game time, as has his body language when he is hauled off midway through the second half once again. Lacazette did not feature for one minute against Watford either.

Emery, though, was quite clear when asked to respond to Lacazette’s subtle jibe:

"“Every player wants to play each match for 90 minutes, but as a manager I need to use the player in the best moment. Maybe sometimes that is playing 90 minutes, maybe sometimes that is starting on the bench. But to convince the player that is very difficult. When I was speaking about two important strikers, Lacazette and [Pierre-Emerick] Aubameyang, sometimes our performances are better with both, but sometimes our big performances are better with only one, and after they make an impact replacing another striker.”"

And Lacazette, unfortunately for him, is simply going to have suck it. Emery is the boss and the decisions he makes are what he believes are the best for Arsenal. If those decisions upset Lacazette along the way, that is just a sad consequence of decisions that should be made anyway.

Whether Lacazette likes it or not, sometimes Emery believes that the team is better off with him on the bench. Or sometimes Emery might want to rest him and bring him off before he has scored a goal. If he makes these decisions, they are because they help Arsenal achieve the most success.

Lacazette may not like being hauled off before he has scored or missing key matches against Watford, but it is Emery’s prerogative and he must suck it up because Arsenal must always be prioritised.