Arsenal: Time to unleash the Fiorentina experiment

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette are Arsenal’s best and most important players. It is time for us to build around them properly, and the involves unleashing the Fiorentina experiment.

Arsenal’s 2-2 draw against Watford was disgraceful and utterly ridiculous. That much is clear. What was equally obvious was how much the team missed Alexandre Lacazette. If anything, I believe that the most recent meltdown proved that he — along with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang — is the Gunners’ best and most important player.

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Before I continue, I would just like to make it clear that this is not a piece written with the intent of criticising Aubameyang. This is merely me thinking of a way to make Arsenal more potent, which is strange considering that they are simultaneously defensively atrocious.

In spite of my belief that Arsenal have one of the better squads in the Premier League, they are either unable or incapable of dominating games. The job of the contemporary striker — especially one who plays for Unai Emery’s Arsenal — cannot be confined to the opposition’s penalty area.

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Nonetheless, in spite of his deficiencies, Aubameyang should keep his place as a central striker moving forward. After all, he is the best goalscorer in the squad. So where does that leave Lacazette, who does not share the same skill set to play out wide? Well, I think it should lead Emery to return to the shape he played against Fiorentina in pre-season. It is a role which I analysed in the aftermath of that game:

"Alexandre Lacazette changed the entire complexion of the game when he entered the fray at half-time. He took up an unfamiliar position behind Eddie Nketiah and flourished.Lacazette was frustrated at times with how our offensive play was developing. On one particular occasion, he came to collect the ball on the edge of our own penalty box before advancing play and setting up a chance for Reiss Nelson that was comfortably saved. He would later unselfishly provide Nketiah with his second goal of the game, before sliding Joe Willock through late on to secure his second assist. He became the beating heart of the team. He took ownership and provided an inexperienced Arsenal team with a composed and elegant focal point."

In reviewing that admittedly meaningless affair and that intriguing experiment, I would seriously consider utilising Lacazette in such a manner in more competitive fixtures. His physicality and link-up play are invaluable and I believe that he would be happy to play second fiddle to his best friend. Furthermore, I believe that this is the only way to get Arsenal’s most effective eleven players on the pitch in a well-balanced formation. Lacazette could continue to do the dirty work of a striker (the defensive work, competing with centre-backs and combining with teammates) while Aubameyang would be better positioned to increase his goal tally.

What impressed me most about Lacazette’s performance in Charlotte, North Carolina, was his leadership. He took ownership of the team and of the game. While Emery’s tactics were the biggest problem at Vicarage Road, not one player took ownership (although it was undoubtedly difficult for anyone to do so). The best players put the team on their shoulders when confronted by adversity. It is why Alexis Sánchez was adored. It is what makes Aubameyang and Lacazette so special. The best players are often able to excel in spite of circumstances, form, or tactics.

I have already discussed the issues that arise from having Aubameyang start on the wing. Besides giving the team a better overall shape, modern-day wingers ‘are often tasked with being both creators and scorers.’ However, Aubameyang does not want to be involved in the creation of chances. He wants to finish the chances. By playing him out wide, you put your left-back and your midfielders under increased pressure to create. You sacrifice width and creativity for the sake of squeezing an extra goalscorer into the team.

And when that is done, the balance of the team is not obviously right. It is now a major issue. Reiss Nelson and Bukayo Saka must be ready to pounce. I would love to see a starting XI that includes one of the pair opposite to Nicolas Pepe. This setup would provide Arsenal with the width, creativity and dynamism that is required. Defensively, there would be problems, no question, but this is an industrious team that can press and score goals in a hurry, and that may be enough to squeeze into the top four.

While I am incredibly glad that Arsenal have both Aubameyang and Lacazette in the squad — I dread to think where we would be without them — it cannot be denied that spending north of £100 million on two central strikers within six months was poor planning. It initially provided the team with a good problem, but their excellence is now making things weirdly difficult.

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I believe the only way to solve this problem with the team’s shape is to deploy Lacazette and Aubameyang centrally. Arsenal are already reliant upon their brilliance. Emery may as well build around them, even if that involves a rather curious, experimental shape.

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