Alexandre Lacazette, the most brilliant dirty worker

Alexandre Lacazette has been heavily criticised by Arsenal fans this season. But the Frenchman is a brilliant dirty worker who should not go so overlooked.

It will not take you long to find an Arsenal fan criticising Alexandre Lacazette. While the Frenchman was named the Player of the Season just a year ago and produced several sterling performances, especially during the latter half of the campaign in a strike tandem with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, this year, he has not met the same standard.

And many fans have jumped on his back as a result, questioning his value to the team and even starting role, with Eddie Nketiah, Gabriel Martinelli and Aubameyang through the middle all seen by many as superior options.

However, while Lacazette’s form deteriorated this season and did not live up to the standards he set himself, he is still critical to the overall set-up, especially in Mikel Arteta’s 4-2-3-1 system that asks the centre-forward to drop into midfield, receive the ball, and then bring others into play to link the attack together.

Lacazette is a terrific presser. He works tirelessly to recover possession, force errant passes, and give defenders no second’s rest. Throw in his close control, his willingness to put his body between the man and the ball to win fouls and it is easy to see just how valuable he is to the team.

This ‘invisible work’ is what makes him ‘amazing’, according to former right-back Bacary Sagna.  Speaking to Goal, Sagna said:

Laca is vital. He is the type of player who gives everything for the team. Of course, you always see the one scoring the goals, like [Pierre-Emerick] Aubameyang – who is a goalscoring machine – but the amount of work that 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.”

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Sagna continued:

“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. He is getting kicked for his team-mates and this is why, for me, he is vital to the Arsenal 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 do not 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.”

Even in a down year, Lacazette is one of the most underappreciated players in the entire squad. He is the master of the dirty work, the invisible work, that which many do not see or recognise. But as Sagna rightly highlights, he is essential to the team.