Lacazette takes Arsenal advice and breaks club record

The scenes after 95 minutes when Alexandre Lacazette squeezed a shot in past Jose Sa was among the best the Emirates Stadium has seen. As soon as the back of the net rippled everything prior to that moment was forgotten about.

All the incessant time wasting from Wolves, the atrocious penalty call in the first minute when Gabriel Martinelli was clearly fouled in the box, the embarrassing farce the visiting side constructed with Raul Jimenez’s substitution, all of it. Nothing mattered amid the bedlam.

That includes Lacazette’s performance up until that crucial intervention.

It will go down only as an intervention too, since the late winner was given as a Jose Sa own goal. Supporters will credit him with the strike though, and deservedly so.

Lacazette took advice from Arsenal supporters in the 2-1 win over Wolves by breaking his shooting – it’s just a shame about the execution

But looking back on what had transpired across the 90 minutes, this was a heavily flawed display from the captain, who clearly had been scanning through Arsenal social media accounts in recent days where fans had offered him their advice. It’s advice that majorly read ‘shoot more’.

And he did.

Lacazette recorded eight shots on the night, the most he’s had in a single game for Arsenal across his whole spell in north London, and the most by an Arsenal player in a single match since Alexis Sanchez against Brighton in the Premier League back in October 2017. Unfortunately, near enough every single one of them was the wrong choice.

So while he heeded the advice about taking more shots, he contrived to take all the wrong shots. Shooting when he should have been passing and passing when he should have been shooting, his decision making on the night left so much to be desired.

The welcome irony is, of course, that the shot he had off target, which could well have turned into a pass for Bukayo Saka, actually nestled into the back of the net. The ricochet off Romain Saiss prompted the unfortunate deflection off Sa.

On the whole, when your leading centre-forward can’t distinguish between a legitimate goalscoring opportunity and when to lay the ball off, it’s cause for slight concern. Decision making of this variety shouldn’t be something a player has to develop at 30 years old.

There were some promising signs though, even if the quality was lacking. One particular instance in the middle of the second half involved him swiveling in the box, turning on the ball he received and firing an effort wide. It was the wrong choice given the players around him with a higher probability of scoring, but it was exactly what has been missing from his game.

If he continues taking shots like that – ideally in situations where him shooting is the best option – then he will score goals. His confidence has been taking a hit with all these unsuccessful efforts. Once he does hit the back of the net, however, he’ll perk up again. We’ve seen it countless times across his Arsenal career where he embarks on a barren patch, and once the seal is broken it transforms his self-belief.

With plenty to be irate about from his performance – and a lot to love from his undying commitment – there are also positive to draw from the intention which, while flawed in its execution, is what Arsenal need from their captain for the rest of the season.