Football

Bacary Sagna defends ‘amazing’ Alexandre Lacazette after criticism from Arsenal fans


Bacary Sagna has defended Arsenal forward Alexandre Lacazette (Picture: Getty)

Bacary Sagna has defended ‘amazing’ Arsenal forward Alexandre Lacazette after he received criticism from the club’s fans.

Frenchman Lacazette was named Arsenal’s player of the year for the 2018-19 season but has been criticised for his contributions during the current campaign.

The 28-year-old has netted seven goals in 20 Premier League appearances, with Arsenal only ninth in the English top-flight and already out of the Europa League.

But Sagna insists Arsenal fans should not judge Lacazette purely on his goals tally and says his compatriot is an ‘amazing’ and ‘vital’ member of Mikel Arteta’s squad.

‘Laca is vital. He is the type of player who gives everything for the team,’ Sagna told Goal.

‘Of course you always see the one scoring the goals, like Aubameyang – who is a goalscoring machine – but the amount of work Laca puts in is amazing.

‘The way he holds the ball, the way he fights for the ball, the way he presses the defence.

‘This is invisible work that not everyone will see. But for Arsenal’s system and the way they want to play, he is amazing.

‘He can score many goals, in front of the goal he is clinical. But most of the time he has his back to the goal.

‘When he receives the ball, he is trying to protect and defend the ball for other players.’

The French forward has endured a mixed season (Picture: Getty)

The former Arsenal defender added: ‘He is getting kicked for his team-mates and this is why, for me, he is vital to the team’s system.

‘He is running a lot. You know how tiring it is to run all the time and press from the front? It’s very tiring, people don’t realise how difficult it is.

‘On top of this, yes you have to score goals. People will ask to score goals because we only remember goalscorers, but he is doing a lot.’

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