Arsene Wenger has claimed that Alexandre Lacazette’s misses against Tottenham Hotspur were down to a lack of confidence, stemming from Arsenal’s signing of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
The French striker arrived as a £52 Million club record signing last summer, but has already found himself warming the bench, thanks to the club’s new record transfer arrival in Aubameyang.
The former Dortmund striker joined last month in a bumper £55-60 Million deal, and marked his debut with a goal against Everton last week, and was kept in the starting line-up to take on Spurs this weekend.
Aubameyang was largely disappointing, and found himself being partnered by Lacazette in the final 10 minutes of the match, and the sub earned himself some good goalscoring opportunities, but unfortunately lost his composure and failed to keep them on target.
The Former Lyon star is claimed to be lacking confidence, and manager Arsene Wenger insists that he is at a new low due to the arrival of his counterpart.
He said: ‘For him, one against one with the keeper, he is a good goalscorer.
‘He has gone through difficult periods before. He works hard in training, works on his finishing. I don’t know what happened, did he not touch the ball well?
‘It can happen, it is a fraction of a second. Maybe the confidence is not at its highest because he has seen a competitor coming in for him.’
Wenger moved onto praise the performance of AL, insisting that he will get back into contention and score goals.
He added: ‘He created two chances today. That is a quality as well. He will score goals. He is a goalscorer, he scored goals in his whole career. He will score again.’
Is Lacazette seriously lacking confidence? Would he usually have put the ball in the back of the net?
Pat J
thats whats the fans always wanted competition and rotation…
still lack of 2 more world class strikers….the fans always want 4 quality strikers to compete
Yes, that’s what we want, Hafiz… But not two more strikers, we want new players in other departments
DM, we lack this alien to be complete
Without the tic-tac passing at AFC, Sanchez seems to be running all over without too much purpose at Manu – just saying . . .
I predict he would struggle under Mourinho’s system, because of their physicalities. Aubameyang is more suited to Mourinho’s MU
I am sure his confidence would come back once he gets his chance to shine. Aubameyang-Lacazette competition is very good for Arsenal
No they want a manager that leaves him on for the whole game,not take him of after 65 minutes how many games has he played the full 90 minutes another great player Wenger tears the heart out of every player he touches.
So right Gavin. Wenger may be a good economist but he appears to be lacking in psychology skills. Why did Wenger not start his high priced striker from the first game available (pandering to Giroud and Sanchez?), not let him complete games or start against Liverpool?
Hopefully Lacazette will start in Europa League where Aubameyang is cup tied; then again he may have to make way for Welbeck!
Yes Lacca lost confodence not coz of Aub.arrival but coz of the manager subbed him repeatedly. Surely his confidence will come back if he can play full 90 min. along with Aub. 4312 or 4231.
I really feel sorry for Lacazette… I hope he gets back his confidence and prove doubters all wrong.
Aubameyang arrival didn’t dent lacazette confidence, he has played 13 games and scoring only 1 before Aubameyangs arrival and that’s not good enough for a striker, sometimes i feel he is not good enough for arsenal or arsenal style of play,. For me i still insist we need a new manager, Wenger hv to leave, I don’t care he wins the EUROPA league or carabao cup which is not gonna happen, he still gat to leave.
It’s a case of speed vs technique.
Open game, counters etc – Auba with his speed
Tight game with static defending – Lacazette with his link-up play.
Of course, without a single top winger, too much depends on our playmakers.
No. Arsen Wenger dented his confidence by not playing him in big matches even before Aubamayang came just because he wanted to please some players like Sanchez and Geroud
This is very true, this has been Wenger’s style of demoralizing players. Sanchez and Giroud were on the way out but the old one better please them than our players who are sticking with us for a long time. Now the guy can’t even score one on one while he was so good before he came to Arsenal
I’m sorry Lacazette’s poor form is no one else’s fault. He’s good, and he will score again he just in a bad spell
Wenger was right to get a top top striker in. Up to Lacazette to take on challenge
Do you not believe there is such a thing as ..confidence player. If yes do you not believe a manager could effect one’s confidence. It could also come from pressure, missing some chances then confidence being low. It could come from his home life, we know so little what goes on in peoples lives as we are all wrapped up with our own little world It could be a number of reasons, could even be that he’s a shrinking violet.
We were more than right to get Auba, needs must. But it’s a pity that Auba didn’t arrive believing it could take some doing to budge Lacazette, and maybe thinking ..for now ..a place beside him will have to suffice.
Lacazette will score again, and who knows, when that happens people may be saying ..I don’t think Wenger gets enough credit for Lacazette’s turnaround, by dumping lovable Oli, for perfect competition …Aubooomayang. But there is a case to lay some blame with the manager when players are not doing what we pay out the ear for them to do.
It’s a bit of both, Lacazette maybe doesn’t feel right now that Wenger has full faith in him with him
taking him off and sparing him from some games yet Auba comes in and gets the start in a big away game no problem. Same time it’s up to Lacazette to prove himself like Rio F. said. Lacazette has not had too many chances to improve his numbers but he has had a few and it would have helped his case if he took them. His confidence does look low, but we have to consider too how it’s a new league, a new home, way of life and all. I don’t like how Wenger deems a player not fit enough to finish a game, he done it with a few players esp when they first arrive. I don’t know if it’s a control thing or if it’s a poor excuse for giving others some minutes. I’d like to know how he comes to this decision, if it’s his gut or if it’s stats he’s looking at. Players will give more if you use the right means to get it out of them, Wenger pulling them off is shining a light on his own flaw.
Wenger plays a pattern that isolates the strikers. He should play the two together…in the last 10 minutes against Tottenham they played together, you could see they can hurt teams …Keeping Giroud away from Sanchez, Keeping Walcott from Giroud (He played Henry and Bergkamp)
Yes Nikkogunners, I can just imagine what Ian Wright and Thierry Henri would have said to Arsene Wenger if he tried to bench Bergkamp, unless it was due to his “non flying”!
Can you imaging, Aubameyang was sick and still played 90 mins.and extra time against evaton. But in the case of Lacazet he’s good enough to play full match against lesser team even when strong and fit. What a coach. Bye bye Lava.
We could play two upfront if we had a manager who knows how that would work
Why is arsene the donkey wenger not playing a 4 3 1 2 ?
Belerin mustafi koscielny monreal
Ramsey xhaka wilsher
Ozil
Lacazete aubameyang
??????
He’s not doing it because he’s stubborn and it makes too much sense.
I’d replace Xhaka with Maitland niles or Kolasinac, and one of Jack/Ramsey with Mhiki, and then push both players slightly higher up the pitch from the DM.