Arsenal: 4 reasons Alexandre Lacazette needs to be dropped

4. Arsenal Can’t Do Worse Than Lacazette

That’s the bottom line, which it wasn’t previously in the season. Lacazette won his spot in the team by default when Aubameyang left, as even though everyone knew what they were getting with him there was no other viable option who could do a better job.

Yet it’s arrived at the point now where doing nothing would constitute a failure. Whether the decision is to put Eddie Nketiah or Gabriel Martinelli there is another matter, because there is no downside. Just as there is absolutely no guarantee of success for either – the fact is that neither would be anywhere near perfect and both come with deficiencies – there is no way Arsenal can lose at this stage.

A few months ago there would have been, but now, when Lacazette is quite simply offering nothing, Arteta can’t go wrong at centre-forward.

There is also a point to make about playing your best players on the pitch at once. Such is the level that Martinelli, Saka, Odegaard and Smith Rowe have found this season that the time has been coming where they no longer can be a scenario where one misses out.

And, heck, if Arsenal do try something different without Lacazette and it becomes apparent that it’s going to require much more time than anticipated – and is in fact worse than before – then bring Lacazette on for the final 30 minutes and at least say you tried.

Besides, that half an hour where his fitness levels are probably on par with the rest might actually suit him.