Lacazette Can Do Better
Lacazette is in the midst of a horrible goalscoring form. While he’s still giving everything on the pitch, nothing is going his way in front of goal. Aubameyang’s suspension would have proven the perfect opportunity to get his shooting boots on but it was an 18-year-old Martinelli who picked up the load, contributing two goals and one assist.
The Frenchman has deservedly come in for criticism. But that criticism has been overblown, as though he were solely responsible for the team’s attacking woes. Against Manchester United, for example, he created two brilliant chances that, on a normal day for Alexandre Lacazette, would have been finished off with emphasis. But it was not a normal day and that erratic streak in front of goal has been running into months by now.
This can happen to anyone. If the team were capable of scoring goals without Aubameyang (that is, if Ozil and Pepe have been contributing their own fair share), this would be less of an issue so long as he continued to give his all on the pitch. Eventually, he would return to form and nobody would remember his streaky stretch. But that is clearly not the case. Only Aubameyang and Martinelli are scoring. Ozil has been frustratingly ineffective and Pepe has been inconsistent. As the team’s number 9, the floodlights from unhappy fans will rest harshly on his back.
But Lacazette can do better. When he’s at his best, scoring goals while helping the team out defensively, running hard for ninety minutes and creating chances left and right, Lacazette can only be compared to a few strikers in the world. This is why calls for him to be sold on in the summer are misinformed. On form, the 27-year-old is as brilliant as they come and most of us know this deep in our hearts.
The question then is not a matter of if Lacazette will return to form but when he will. A mid-season break spent down in Dubai can reinvigorate the Frenchman’s legs and if Alexandre Lacazette goes back to banging in goals on the regular, Arteta’s Arsenal would surely be a team to fear.
Agboola Israel
FFS-what is it with you two Admins? While your so keen and eager to continually blame Ozil for failing to create, you are happy to allow a Centre Forward to keep playing even though he cannot score for love or money at the moment.You even have to bring up Ozil in a Lacazette headline.
You two-start getting some perspective in your comments. Believe it or not it’s not all Ozil’s fault no matter how you try to spin it
Calm down Phil, this article was not from an Admin. If you are going to moan at least make sure you have your facts right beforehand
Ok-apologies.Can you tell this Agboola Israel that the Centre Forwards job is to score goals. I could have knocked some of those in with my dick they were that easy.
Is that your dick that strong even at your age?
Oh yes PAL
wow
That’s pretty cozy
What a strong dick you have there to kick a ball
Parrot??!! 😂
@phil
you are happy to allow a Centre Forward to keep playing even though he cannot score for love or money at the moment.
Atleast Laca is creating and excelling in Ozil’s role more than Ozil. He make assists even when he his in dip form.
So maybe Ozil should excel in Laca’s role and score, with that the team moves forward.
I know people will say I’m Ozil fan…Yes but also Laca fan too.
Support both players cos they are both in dip form.
@bob-what I’m am implying is that many are far too quick to blame Ozil for not performing while ignoring the clear fact that others are not exactly setting the place alight are they? Lacazette cannot score, Pepe is far too inconsistent , and even Aubamayang spurned two guilt edge chances at Turf Moor that ultimately cost us two points and a much needed win.
My continual gripe is that it’s ridiculous to pin all the blame on Ozil when others are just as culpable.
Seriously? In the Premier League this season, Lacazette 5 goals and 2 assists. Pepe 3 goals and 3 assists. Ozil no goals 1 assist. Pepe is at the top of the Arsenal assists and Laca joint second and second-highest scorer. You wonder why people criticise Ozil, that is why. He is an absolute joke of a footballer, even Kolasinac and Maitland Niles have more assists than him and Sokratis, Luiz and Chambers have more goals. He is just an embarrassment to the club now and you wonder why there are so many articles and so many blaming him, mate, get real now.
So AdMartin, as Ozil is not a striker and both Lacazette and Pepe are front players, I would expect them to score more than Ozil wouldn’t you? And is that seriously their totals? Pepe I know got two in the Europa League.Ate they included? If so that makes it even worst don’t you think ?
And as for being a joke of a player, are you really being serious? Or is it because you just cannot see, or wants to believe, that not everything is Ozil’s fault?
I have no problem with anyone not rating any player as we all see things differently, and believe it or not I actually respect your view and opinion.But I also acknowledge that you have the platform to voice your opinions and i can only attempt to reply before being shot down by you.
So explain this to me-who else in this current squad will provide the link and transition that is so obviously missing. Is it the line-up, tactics, formation? The trouble with being such a trumpet gob is that you actually never give an answer to the issue do you? You never actually address the problem do you? You never offer anything other than your complete disdain and contempt of Ozil do you? But as you say, it’s your site, and you can write what you want, and post what you wasn’t. Just for once, instead of actually stating your opinion try saying what you would do and how you feel MA should be changing things. Not likely to happen PAL is it?
OK, where to start. All figures were purely Premier League as I stated. No, Ozil is not an out and out striker but he is a number 10 and after 25 games you would surely hope that he has more than zero goals and a single assist. I do believe he is a joke simply because he can do better. Other players with far less talent are not a joke because they are simply not good players, Ozil is and that is why the frustration with him and my very low opinion is as it is.
Secondly, this is not my site, I am an employee and yes I do have a platform to air my opinions but so do you. I have invited any reader that wants to have an article published to send it in and that includes you and you are not restricted to any number, send me in ten a day and I will publish them as long as they are appropriate and by that I mean it would have to be easy to read and not use foul and abusive lanaguage. If you want to write a ten part series with an article published once a day all about Ozil I welcome that. so please do not try to intimate this is all one sided. It is not and never has been.
I do not blame Ozil solely and anyone checking my articles, which can be done on here, will see how I pull apart Luiz, Geundouzi on occasions, yes Pepe and Laca and Aubameyang. If I believe it is wrong I will say it is wrong. If Ozil scores a hatrick or creates two goals or controls the game against Newcastle, I will say so and will certainly write articles about it. My record on here proves that.
Finally, in answer to your specific questions, if you check my articles you will see how I have actually covered all that in the past, as an example Ceballos should be tried instead of Ozil to create that link up play and transition. I have done articles on how Arsenal should line up, teh formations etc, guess what? I get shot down and attacked for thinking I know better than the manager.
I do 100’s of articles per month and a very very tiny minority are on Ozil, less than 2%, this has been checked and verified and so the idea that I only attack Ozil and never offer up alternatives or solutions is for the clouds.
In the past ahve written positive articles about Ozil and yup, I got criticised left right and centre, I have no issue with that and no amount of criticism will deter me from writing what I believe is the truth. Everyone is welcome to oppose my view via articles and comments, this is not a dictatorship of opinions, not by any stretch of the imagination.
Ken did an article, I did not put up a comment, I have no intention of shooting anyone articles down, I have never criticised any writer on this site and stay out of it even when I disagree, that provides freedom of speech without fear of being shot down by me or Pat.
I do not hate Ozil and would become his biggest fan if he performs for Arsenal, that is all I care about, Arsenal, not an individual player and no player, not even Aubameyang is off-limits to me. My transformation on Mustafi as an example is proof of that.
Anyway, I think I will leave that there.
Ozil is an absolute joke of a footballer, OMG that is too harsh on him mr Martin
Lacca is in a dip of form, he has struggled since he came back from an injury, he hasn’t been like it for months just a run of games. He is still trying hard and i expect him to return to the old Lacca very soon. He is tackling, running, fighting and contributing in many ways but one goal will kick start him and give him the confidence he needs to kick on. If he doesn’t in the next few games after this break, he needs benching for a while and someone else given a chance to bring something different to the attack.
Reggie, i just heard he (lacca) is having tough time with his fiance. Maybe it is what is making him struggle to play his footbal
Could have an impact thats for sure.
No, we cannot, to answer the post’s question. What’s the point of having a striker if he is not in the penalty area when balls get played in there, and then, when by chance he is, he misses the goal by a greater distance than he is away from it?
Which begs a queation from me: Do you keep playing him until he retires in a gew year’s time in the hope that one day he will start scoring goals again, or do you drop him or sell him because there are guys around that DO score goals. Being “Mr Nice Guy” ain’t gonna win trophies.
I remember Van Persie’s best season at Man United when he won the league for them. He went 9games without a goal.
Nobody criticise him cos they know he will come back.
During his drought, the other players stepped up for him. Why didn’t the rest of the squad step up for him and score?
Or is it forbbiden for our wingers and midfielder to score goals
I like the way you view it. our midfielders and wingers should also score when strikers are help up by defenders. Our midfield is no longer willing to get into goal scoring positions.
When exactly has Lacazette ever been “at his best”? The man has been averaging 13 goals for the past 2-3 seasons. He’s bang average and should be shown the door. We were ruthless with Giroud and Laca should be shown no mercy. Unless we want to continue being a midtable team in which case keep Lacazette then.
Did that stop Liverpool attack to manfuction.
Firmino has 15 goals in Laca 1st season in England while Laca has 14
12 the 2nd season and Laca has 13
Thats same goals in two seasons if you ask me. And nobody criticise Firmino for not outscoring his wingers.
People need to realise Laca play with Aina because of the work he does on the field which Auba can’t.
And people saying Laca can’t play any role except CF has never watch Laca as a winger before been converted to a striker.
He doesn’t make run like Auba and Auba doesn’t fight like him.
Two different players.
Some strikers are like that.
Drogba never score has much has Lampard, Benzema has Ronaldo, Firmino has Sarah, G Jesus as Sterling, the list goes on
What are you talking bout mate? Firmino has been getting the heat! All this Mbappe to Liverpool talk, who is Mbappe going to replace? Is it Mane? Salah? It’s Firmino mate. His time at Liverpool is almost up and just like Lacazette, he will be shown the door soon.
Do you know why Salah and Mane is excelling?
Because Firmino do the dirty job by coming into midfield to open space for both players to run into.
Check any scoring winger and look at the striker in the team(they hardly move over 20goals). Even Aguero has never score more than 21goals in a league season since Sterling found his scoring both.
But look at this season, Aguero is hitting it in when Sterling is dip in form.
Benzema is another example, Ronaldo left and he has been the scorer.
Look at Lille, Pepe was the king from the wing and the striker has to shut down but now Striker is there main scorer and d winger has to shut it down.
That’s how it is man.
So Laca scoring 13-18goals is normal as long as Auba scores more than 20goals.
Let look for a midfielder to score some for us too
Right that is why Wenger brought Auba knowing that Laca was not scoring enough
Well said Phil
I even have a friend who blamed Ozil for Luiz red card against Chelsea.
I was shocked and asked him how? Only to say, if Ozil is not on the pitch the ball won’t have gone to Mustafi in the first place.
That’s how some people hate him.
To me, Ozil is trying his best, so do any other player in the team. If you can’t blame Auba for missing two guilt chances and a free header or blaming him for missing a penalty against 5pur2 then you don’t need to blame any player.
A blame every player on a match day if they don’t perform and never leave 1 out.
I even blame Henry against Barcelona for missing so many chance at the final. That’s how it should be.
Can we stop blaming lacazette for arsenal’s scoring problems??
Who should we blame?? Auba?? Martinelli?? Pepe?? Some people might even blame ozil,
Lets be honest with each other, the guy got many chances to put an end to his drought but still could’nt find the back of the net, he should be blamed because he’s making one of the f best strikers in the world play in the wing just to accommodate him, He has not lived up to expectations since joining us, man couldn’t fill giroud boots, that’s why we signed Auba. his work is to put the ball at the back of the net not run up and down the pitch.
he should be benched and be used for cup games till he gets his confidence back and be sold in the summer.
Thank you.
And to think we are the same fan who blame the popular ‘scapegoat ‘ at slightest opportunity.
Let’s ask people that are defending his goal drought, didn’t we abuse Giroud when he had goal drought? Can we tolerate Luiz or any other cb for bad defensive display though he score once a while?
Point is, he may run, defend and all sort, if he fail to score, he hasnt done well
Exactly@bob- this is my take on Mesut Ozil.He is a supremely gifted footballer who, because of his laid back and languid style, often looks as though he is not trying.That is just nonsense. His game is not built around him crashing head first into tackles and never has been. If ever a player was not suited to the physical demands of the Premiereship then Ozil is that player.His style and game was more successful in Spain and the international stage where for 5-6 years he was undoubtedly one of the worlds best creative players. Was it a mistake of Arsene Wenger to buy him? Of course not.But no matter how gifted any player is sometimes you have to put your hands up and say it just didn’t work out.Its very similar to Veron at both Man Utd then Chelsea.Schevchenko at Chelsea.Arshavin at Arsenal.Technically gifted professionals that just could not adjust to the physical demands of Premiere League football.
Some on this site blame the player for not trying.If that was the case then the Manager is equally at fault for selecting him in the first place. I honestly felt, and still feel, that Aubamayang and Pepe, along with Martinelli and Saka, are tailor made for Ozil to play with.Pace, movement and variation in front of him, as opposed to the static Giroud and inconsistent Welbeck and Walcott. But it should also be remembered that when Ozil first came to the Emirates he had Coqulien as a CDM, who was disciplined and playing in his natural position, as well as Cazorla and Rosicky in midfield. The last few seasons, under Wenger and Emery, he has been used wide, which was as pointless as it was ridiculous, and sometimes isolated in a too advance role in an ever changing line-up with players who were just never on the same wavelength. Emery tried to force him out when it was obvious he didn’t want him.That too in my opinion was pointless and a reason why we became so stale and predictable.
Whatever this season brings, and whether the player is off loaded in the summer we can only wait and see.But until such time Ceballos is proven as a better option we are forced to play Ozil.
I for one, along with many others, will never give up on this player. I’m convinced MA will slowly get the transition between midfield and attack working more efficiently and effective. He will achieve this more with Ozil as the link from our squad than any other.
But time will no don’t tell
Ozil is the type of player that coach have to compromise and compensate because of his weaknesses. Peak ozil was worth that trouble as his benefits outweighed his weaknesses , this ozil doesn’t.
I don’t think he has a place in starting 11 and he won’t accept a bench role. He is better off in another league.
I believe Arteta should play Lacazette centrally behind Aubameyang in place of Ozil.