Arsenal Vs Manchester City: How Alexandre Lacazette is key

On Wednesday afternoon, Arsenal face the daunting task of taking on Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium. Crucial to their success will be centre-forward Alexandre Lacazette. Here is why.

Even in an underwhelming season, this current Manchester City team is the best English side that I have ever seen. They are relentlessly brilliant and pose the most difficult task in the division alongside a trip to Anfield.

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On Wednesday night, Arsenal travel to the Etihad Stadium to face a reeling City who will be eager to bounce back following their Manchester derby defeat on Sunday afternoon. With their Champions League hopes in the balance, a win would go a long way, however unlikely that might seem.

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Facing City is so difficult because of the immense pressure that they exert. From their dominance of possession to the high press they enact, the opposing side are relentlessly ‘under the cosh’, as the saying goes. There is no time to rest or relax. Any even slight mistake will be punished, either by leading to a chance or goal or through City regaining possession and keeping the ball for the next five minutes. They are suffocating to face.

City’s dominance in possession leads many to claim that to beat them you must defend superbly in deep areas, remaining positionally well structured and looking to clear any balls that come into the final third, especially in and around the penalty area where their interplay is razor-sharp.

This is obviously critical. No team will beat City without strong defensive performances. But often, teams problems come at the other end of the pitch, leading to defensive mistakes that City then exploit.

70-plus% possession increases pressure on the defence. City will construct more attacks than any team in the league because they have the ball more than any other team. That means they put themselves in more positions to take advantage of the opposition’s defensive errors. To release this pressure, then, it is critical that opposing teams have a release valve, an outlet, a player or two in attacking positions who can hold onto the ball, win freekicks, help to keep hold of possession and force City into defensive situations. For Arsenal, that man is Alexandre Lacazette.

The Frenchman has endured a difficult time of late and is being increasingly criticised by large swathes of the fanbase. But he provides a unique skill set at the position. His excellent control, strong body positioning, low centre of gravity, and smart dribbling skills mean that he can protect the ball, shrug off defenders, win freekicks, and help to release pressure from his defence at crucial moments.

And in his pre-match press conference, Mikel Arteta was keen to praise Lacazette’s recent attitude after being dropped from the team for Eddie Nketiah:

"“It’s not because of the fact he scored, it’s because of the way he trains every day. The way he’s trying, the way he played even when he wasn’t scoring. He’s always at his best, training, his attitude is top. The same with the others so they all have a chance.”"

Lacazette has responded well to Eddie Nketiah’s emergence. And he is now pushing hard to be reintroduced to the starting XI. Given the crucial role that he would play against a brilliant Manchester City, Arteta would be wise to turn to the Frenchman.