Arsenal: Top 3 underrated players in squad

1. Alexandre Lacazette

Finally, the player who has perhaps come in for more criticism than any other player for his performances this season. By his standards, Alexandre Lacazette has not had the best season, that much is sure. However, has it been as disastrous as a scroll down Twitter would tell you? Well, no.

Lacazette has only had truly disastrous performance, the 0-0 draw against Burnley. He has played poorly in other matches, of course, but he has rarely been utterly calamitous. Even during his extended goal drought, he still provided value in most games through his hold-up play, work with the ball at his feet, and general industry and high-pressing.

And while his season has not been the best, he was not named Arsenal’s Player of the Season for nothing last year. He also had nine goals and three assists in 1,793 minutes across all competitions. It is certainly not the type of production you would expect from a starting centre-forward, but it is not as entirely dreadful as has been painted.

Lacazette needs to improve if he wants to hold onto his starting role at Arsenal. But he still adds value to the team and has been largely overlooked and degraded this season.