Arsenal: Alexandre Lacazette is a problem

Alexandre Lacazette has not scored in two months. He has not scored an away league goal in a year. The Arsenal striker is a problem, but not because of the goals he is not scoring.

In modern football, a centre-forward is relied upon to produce more than just goals. Obviously, those that score prolifically are invaluable and crucial pieces of highly successful teams, but as football as developed into a more rounded, complete game in which every player must be able to execute as if they played in every position, a centre-forward’s role has changed.

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This has seen the introduction and justified appraisal of strikers like Roberto Firmino, centre-forwards who are essential to their team’s overall attacking approach without necessarily being the primary goalscorer. Typically, the striker will be the highest scorer. Not anymore.

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Under Mikel Arteta, Alexandre Lacazette was tasked with leading the line. The Frenchman has never been utterly prolific. His first two seasons at Arsenal yielded 14 and 13 Premier League goals. It is not a bad return, but it will never rival the truly elite goalscorers like Sergio Aguero, Harry Kane or even Lacazette’s teammate, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

Nevertheless, Lacazette was still a crucial piece to Arteta’s puzzle because of his all-around play. He helps instigate and structure the high press in advanced areas of the pitch, he holds up play superbly with his back to goal, and he is creative as he drops into midfield and supplies his teammates who run beyond, as evidenced by his eight league assists last season.

But he is not scoring. After another goalless performance against Burnley on Sunday, Lacazette has now not scored a goal in two months, has only scored five league goals on the year, and has not scored an away goal in the Premier League in a year.

During the first few performances of his two-month drought, especially under Arteta, Lacazette’s lack of goals was not all that concerning, other than for the effect it may have on his mental state. While a striker is there to score goals, Lacazette was providing a lot more to the team than just making the net ripple. His overall play was at a high level, even if his goalscoring was not.

But against Burnley on Sunday afternoon, it changed. Not only was Lacazette unable to convert one of the several openings that fell his way throughout the 90 minutes, especially a header early on that he failed to steer on target; his influence in open play was detrimental, losing out to Ben Mee and James Tarkowski consistently, conceding possession in dangerous areas, failing to win fouls and release pressure.

Lacazette is a brilliant centre-forward because of all the small things. He does the dirty work like no other. But at present, even in this he is floundering. Now, that does not mean that he cannot return to form and one day be the long-term solution to the striker position at Arsenal. In fact, I fully expect him to do precisely that, especially if Arteta keeps faith with him.

But the obvious is now irrefutable: Lacazette’s form is such that he is now a problem, a problem that Arteta and Arsenal must find a way of solving.