Arsenal: Any snub involving Alexandre Lacazette is inherently wrong

Arsenal fans likely still shudder at the concept of international football, but still, Alexandre Lacazette’s continual snubs is ridiculous.

Alexandre Lacazette was the no-contest Player of the Season for Arsenal, and it wasn’t just for statistics alone. 18 goals and ten assists is one hell of a haul, but it’s the intangibles that Lacazette has brought that make him stand out as a truly elite striker.

The man operates in tight spaces better than any striker I’ve seen. His ability to turn and weave between defenders is positively obscene, and the fact that he lead the team in assists is another testament to the way he plays the game.

But for Didier Deschamps and the World Cup winning France international team, it’s not good enough. Because yet again, Lacazette has been snubbed from international duty in favor of…. Wissam Ben Yedder.

I don’t think many Gooners will mind too much. The risk of injury, and our treacherous history of injuries in international competitions, will give us fans shudders for years to come.

But it’s the notion that is ridiculous – that there are a handful of French strikers that you would rather have over Alexandre Lacazette, Arsenal’s Player of the Season, contributor of 28 goals in all competitions.

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Deschamps said that, well, Ben Yedder had scored “a lot of goals.”

Yeah, that’s great and all. But Lacazette has been a leader, a hero, and a doer-of-everything on a club in a tumultuous stage of transition, learning and developing next to Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, the Golden Boot winner, but no, tell me more about how he didn’t score enough goals.

Even Antoine Griezmann, aside from pissing off all of Atletico Madrid, managed 19 goals and 11 assists this year, just one higher than Lacazette in each category. But why do you keep Griezmann? Because of that chemistry he provides. Because of his combination play with Olivier Giroud. Because of his versatility in the attack.

I’ve always though that the No. 1 reason that Lacazette continues to miss out is because he plays the game quite similar to Griezmann. But it comes to the point that you have to ask – wouldn’t you want another Griezmann? Because that is exactly what Lacazette has become. And if you don’t watch out, he may surpass him soon.

Again, I’m fine with our players not playing internationally, but that doesn’t mean that I’ll stand idly by while Lacazette is so clearly under-appreciated. he deserves better. Way better.