Arsenal: 3 vital changes to make to save the season

2. Replace Lacazette (In Other Words, Play a Striker)

Manchester City have proven that you don’t necessarily need a striker to score goals left and right in the Premier League, even if Arteta will be keenly aware that he has nowhere near the squad that Pep has. Thus far, Lacazette has started far more games than he should have. He has rarely impressed in any, with his last three particularly rage-inducing.

Against Brighton, he had one of those performances. One where it seems as if Arsenal were playing with ten men; one where fans were scratching their heads wondering if Lacazette had accidentally been left in the dressing room. Even late substitutes Nketiah and Pepe had more passes during their short time on the pitch than Lacazette completed in the entire game.

A lack of alternatives will cause some fans to find positives wherever they can find. With Aubameyang, it was his track record. With Lacazette, it has been his build up play. But these positives are borne partly out of evidence, but mostly out of desperation and are thus blown out of proportion.

The French striker can drop deep but he lacks the threat to make defenders wary. His ability is simply not at the level required. Opposition players don’t have to follow him as he drops into midfield because he rarely does anything spectacular when he receives the ball. They can even afford not to follow him into the box since his goalscoring ability is practically nonexistent as well.

As painful as it is to make this point, Harry Kane serves as an example of a striker whose build up play is actually worthy of praise. His passing ability is exceptional, forcing defenders to track his runs because if they don’t, he will punish them. He also can’t be left alone in the box because of how lethal he is. Lacazette doesn’t give anything for defenders to fear.

The game against Brighton was only the most recent of a series of stinker after stinker. The only other natural option would be Eddie Nketiah and, such has been Lacazette’s form as of late, that it is time to start a young, inconsistent player who’s contract runs out at the end of the season. This isn’t because Nketiah is even that good. It’s because he can’t surely be as bad as Lacazette.

Maybe Arsenal should have signed someone in January. Who would’ve thought?

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