Alexandre Lacazette’s work rate has been questioned by former Arsenal midfielder Paul Merson, who believes the forward is playing like someone who knows they won’t complete the full 90 minutes.
Lacazette has found himself playing second fiddle to Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang for the best part of three years, being moved from his initial role as a striker and being deployed on the wing.
This season, however, has been different, with the France international being handed a central role by Mikel Arteta.
Lacazette’s deployment at centre-forward has cost Arsenal in recent weeks, with the Frenchman missing chances in the north Londoners’ defeats to Leicester City and Aston Villa.
And following Lacazette’s’ crucial misses, Merson believes it’s high time Arteta puts Aubameyang back in the middle of his three-pronged attack.
“I just think you’ve got to get Aubameyang (in the middle),” Merson said during an appearance on Sky Sports. “I played out on the wing in my career for part of it.
“You either have so much of the ball you can’t get enough of it or you never see it for 20 minutes and you’re sitting there doing nothing.
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“When you’ve got your most talented player playing out there he’s too easy to pick up.
“Teams are getting used to him now he gets it out on the left, he cuts in and bends it in the top corner.
“They are stopping that so they’ve got to get him in the middle of the pitch.”
Merson hasn’t been impressed by Lacazette’s body language this season, adding: “Lacazette plays like, I watch him and it’s ‘I’m coming off after 70 minutes… so pfft’.”
Lacazette’s goal return hasn’t been bad this season, with the former Lyon hitman finding the back of the net three times in nine appearances.
(Image: PA Wire)
The Frenchman and his Arsenal team-mates will be back in action on Sunday night, taking on Marcelo Bielsa’s Leeds United at Elland Road.
