Arsenal made a huge move to acquire Alexander Lacazette from Lyon, but how will their line up look with the Frenchman in it?
Arsenal are spending nearly $60 million for Lyon striker Alexander Lacazette, according to The Independent. They hope he can breathe fresh air into a side coming off their first finish outside the top four in two decades.
Lacazette’s finishing ability is something the Gunners have lacked in recent years, with Alexis Sanchez proving himself their most viable striker last season despite being an attacking midfielder by trade. How, then, will Arsene Wenger line up his team with Lacazette in it?
Wenger has historically favored a 4-2-3-1, but at the end of 2016-17, with his side struggling in the race for the top four, he followed Antonio Conte’s lead and switched to a 3-4-3. In both systems, Lacazette would play as the center forward, with some combination of Sanchez, Mesut Ozil, Theo Walcott, Danny Welbeck and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain around him.
Olivier Giroud, who until last season was Wenger’s go-to forward, never scored at a rate that satisfied fans, but his hold up play was key part of Arsenal’s 4-2-3-1. With Lacazette in his place, it seems likely we’ll see more fluid interplay between the Gunners’ forwards.
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As for the rest of the team, it’s unlikely to look too different to last season. Petr Cech will start in goal (though at 36, the time to replace him is coming), Shkodran Mustafi and Laurent Koscielny will start at center-back, with Hector Bellerin and new-signing Sead Kolasinac on the right and left, respectively.
The biggest question in defense will depend on whether Wenger plays three or four at the back. If it’s three, Nacho Monreal, Rob Holding and Per Mertesacker will all be fighting for the final spot alongside Koscielny and Mustafi.
Lacazette, however, will have a very limited impact on these questions. But his approach could affect who plays around him. Aaron Ramsey and Granit Xhaka finally started to show some form at the end of last season, and Ramsey’s runs from deep in particular could help Lacazette thrive.
Still, even acknowledging Wenger’s experimentation with a back three last season, you know you’re going to get from his Arsenal side. Which is why Lacazette, who fits so seamlessly into that system, seems like such an encouraging signing.