Eddie Nketiah has the greenest of green lights

How else do you put it? Lacazette was really, really bad. Yet again. He had some incredible opportunities put on a platter for him. One he headed straight at Tim Krul, one he flubbed about ten feet wide from about eight feet out.

It was yet another forgettable performance where he provided more of a hindrance to the attack than a help. And to compile on that, it was in a match that was supposed to be Eddie Nketiah‘s. Mikel Arteta had done a fine job alternating between Nketiah and Lacazette, but he disrupted the rotation to start Lacazette twice and in both matches he was almost entirely useless.

So what happens next?

Well, the answer should be simple—you play Eddie Nketiah. The youngster was already winning the race against Lacazette and, as I’ve mentioned before, he didn’t even necessarily need to win. He just needed to stay level and prove that he was equally capable.

He’s done far more than that, and Lacazette is only hurting his own race. By starting this match, Lacazette had the chance to pull even with Nketiah, but instead he tripped over himself and fell further back, despite Nketiah not even running the race.

All this means is that Nketiah has the clearest of clear runways ahead of him. He has the greenest of green lights. I can’t see a fathomable way that he doesn’t start against Wolverhampton at the weekend, and if what we’ve seen thus far into the restart is anything to go off of, it’s no question what will happen with that opportunity. All Nketiah has to do is not completely muff his chance. Just play competent football for however long he’s given and he’ll have done more than Lacazette did.

Sorry, I’m not trying to be so negative after a resounding win, I’m just tired of feebleness.

Nketiah is the real deal, and the more we see him, the more we’ll see that. More of the same is coming. You can count on it.