Garth Crooks has voiced his surprise that Alexandre Lacazette was left on the substitutes bench for the defeat at home to Wolverhampton Wanderers.
The France international watched the majority of the game from the bench as the Gunners went 2-1 down by half-time thanks to goals from Pedro Neto and Daniel Podence.
In his BBC column, the former Tottenham Hotspur man claimed that Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was left isolated by Mikel Arteta.
Crooks said: “Once again, Arsenal coach Mikel Arteta left his best striker – Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang – isolated for much of the match and brought on Alexandre Lacazette (a proven goalscorer) with only 10 minutes remaining.”
“So let me get this straight – the Gunners were playing at home against Wolves and played with only one recognised goalscorer upfront?” (via BBC Sport)
Who should be Arsenal's number nine for the Tottenham clash?
Alexandre Lacazette
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
Whilst I’m of the opinion that Aubameyang should replace Lacazette due to his deficiencies in front of goal, there are certain games where the former Lyon frontman would prove pivotal alongside or behind the club captain.
In the clash against Wolves, a well-drilled team, it was easy to see why Arsenal didn’t get a result with the Gabon forward who didn’t seem intent on doing the defensive side of the game. Aubameyang made no tackles, no interceptions and no fouls as he proved anonymous off the ball.
However, compare that to the France international, whose energy upfront and desire to press defenders means he averages the most fouls per game of any Arsenal player. The difference is chalk and cheese and shows that if you play the two in close proximity they’d help rather than hinder one another.
In an interview from May 2019, the club captain talked about his relationship on and off the pitch with his strike partner, claiming that it’s ‘natural’.
There are some games that Lacazette has the skill set to help the north Londoners thrive. If you place the £182k-p/w alongside his teammate and captain, there is a chance that the Aubameyang could thrive off the hard work and start scoring again.
