Arsenal: 3 Reasons Alexandre Lacazette Has Hit Form

Alexandre Lacazette is hitting form at the right time for Arsenal.

Up there with the most maligned players in the squad this season, the turnaround seen from the Frenchman has been surprising to say the least.

Is it, though?

Alexandre Lacazette evokes similar feelings to Olivier Giroud – not in playing style, physical stature or hotel room antics, mind you – in that fans may not fully appreciate what he can do/has done until he’s gone.

He’s now up to nine goals for the season, a ratio just shy of one in every two games, with four in his last three Premier League fixtures. As per usual when any player finds themselves in something of a hot streak their future comes into question, whether it be moving on or signing a new deal.

Arsenal opted against selling Lacazette in the summer, a decision largely criticised given the performances he showed during the early season struggles. All of a sudden back in the goals, has his magic touch been born out of personal improvements and faith from his manager, or the result of a team structure more suited to his skillset?

Midfield Support

Lacazette’s best scoring seasons for Arsenal were unsurprisingly his first two, at that point being more athletic and quicker off the mark. It doesn’t matter what position you play in, both those traits make a considerable difference.

Apart from that, in terms of the team around him, he had support from midfield. Actual bodies joining him in the box. The main man during those two terms was Aaron Ramsey, the profile of player that Arsenal have yet to replace.

Ramsey made a name for himself as a midfielder who loved making perfectly timed runs from deep and supporting those in front of him. In Emile Smith Rowe there is someone who is showing early signs of similar traits.

Instead of a previously flat, deep midfield pivot of Dani Ceballos and Granit Xhaka, with Bukayo Saka drifting wide, there is Smith Rowe to open up spaces either side of Lacazette. Still, even despite coming under severe criticism this campaign, Lacazette had found himself on the scoresheet to prove that his eye for goal hadn’t been lost entirely.

Now, with support from midfield and extra bodies in the box, he isn’t weighed down by multiple markers. No centre-forward, not least one of Lacazette’s stature, can operate without movement in and around them. Now players move in front of him, he can drop off into the pockets where he’s most threatening to finish chances.

Lacazette is a centre-forward who plays best alongside a second striker. Arsenal don’t utilise two No. 9’s, so having bodies support him from midfield is the next best thing.

Forward Fluidity

Most notable during Arsenal’s second goal against West Brom, the interchanging of roles within the forward line has improved ten-fold since the early stages of the season. For a player of Lacazette’s ilk, one who has a penchant for dropping deep and linking play, those characteristics become null and void without fluidity from those around you.

It ties in with support from midfield. Smith Rowe running beyond Lacazette and Saka swapping roles to account for those movements is imperative for the Frenchman. Previously, he’d drop deep to collect possession, only for the option presented to him to remain unmoved.

When he has the chance to collaborate in this way with his fellow teammates, confidence oozes out of him and his touches are more refined. The 29-year-old’s role as the centre-forward even looks more functional given the right support.

What use is there having a striker who enjoys being involved in the build-up play if there is nobody willing to work with him?

Previously there was only Saka who attacked spaces and showed for the ball. Smith Rowe coming in has added to that with the bonus of those movements being in central areas. Together, the combination play within the side is neater and quicker, easing the strain on Lacazette to come even shorter than he was to springboard attacks.

With this improved approach, he can perform the task he loves so dearly in more threatening areas of the pitch.

Confidence & Persistence

Lacazette has not hit four goals in three games because he’s working harder. For all the justified criticism he has faced this season, that much is unfounded. Even when Arsenal, and Lacazette, were at their lowest, he would always run himself into the ground.

Whether pressing from the front or tracking back centrally to turnover possession, he worked.

Now, as the goals start to arrive, this remains the case. It speaks volumes of his character that even when he was severely struggling and shot for confidence, his work-rate never waned. That bite and determination were largely what secured him the Player of the Year award in the 2018/19 season – 19 goals in all competitions were just part of it.

Rarely ever has there been a striker as reliant on confidence as Lacazette. The drop off in performance level – not for lack of trying – when he hits a barren spell is startling. When that self-belief is back, every part of his game is sharper, cleaner, and ultimately, more threatening.

He persisted with gritty displays even when the going was tough, and with the support of a structure and personnel better suited to getting the best out of him he’s profiting. Which, of course, means Arsenal are too.

At 29 there will need to be a discussion about his future with just 18 months left to run, but whatever the outcome is on that matter (a long-term upgrade is still needed) utilising players in positions that suit them, with job roles tailored for their needs, is for the benefit of all.