Should Lacazette’s lack of goals be a worry?

The Frenchman ended a run of six games when he converted from the spot against Leicester City but should his goal tally be a worry?

Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal is finally beginning to take shape. Even in their 2-0 defeat against Liverpool, there was plenty to take away in terms of positives and there is little doubt that the players are now trusting the process and their trust is now delivering.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s departure to Barcelona in January left the club with only Alexandre Lacazette as the recognised senior striker. Eddie Nketiah gets the odd minutes here and there but Lacazette is very much the primary forward at the moment.

His goal against Leicester was just his fourth of the season and that begs the question of whether his lack of goals should be a worry? The short answer is no.

 

 

Different role in the side

What is often forgotten in football discourse is that positions and roles are often quite different. Every forward’s role in the team is not just to attack, just as every defender’s role in the team is not just to defend.

With Lacazette, his role in the side is to be a link-player and to drop deep and facilitate play, as opposed to always being on the end of chances.

Which is why you see him often link up with Arsenal’s defenders in deeper areas and then lay off the ball to either Gabriel Martinelli or Bukayo Saka.

To criticize his lack of goal output is to completely ignore that he plays a role in the side which makes him a huge plus for others.

 

Assists and more

Over the past year, Lacazette has averaged 0.31 assists per90, a figure which puts him in the top seven percent of all forwards across the top five leagues. This is exceedingly impressive even without taking into account his role in the side.

On top of that, the Frenchman is also averaging 3.36 shot-creating actions in the side, which means he is constantly finding his team-mates in space and helping them to chances.

It is no wonder therefore that he has the most assists in the side with 7, two more than Bukayo Saka who is second with 5 so far this season in the league.

 

Leading the press

Nobody presses the ball more in the attacking third than Lacazette for Arsenal, who has attempted 151 pressures in the final third this season. This is where he also plays a crucial role for Arteta’s side in leading the press from the first minute.

On a per90 basis, Lacazette attempts nearly 17 pressures per90, a figure which places him in the top bracket of forwards across the top five leagues.

Once he’s won the ball back, the task then for Lacazette is to immediately find his team-mates advancing past him into advanced areas, which is something he does very well.

A pass completion% figure of 82% indicates a healthy pass completion rate for someone who operates not only in deeper areas but also further up the pitch.

Though his goal output average of 0.27 per90 is below-average for a top five leagues forward, his underlying npxG numbers at 0.36 per90 are still well above average which indicates that his goal-return may yet improve before the season ends.

Lacazette’s performances this season demands to look at strikers in a different light. Roberto Firmino is in a similar vein to him at Liverpool and now Lacazette has joined him in the bracket of forwards that provide more than just goals.

With Arsenal’s upcoming fixtures pitting them against top-four rivals, no doubt Lacazette will play a key part in the Gunners obtaining positive results as he has done so far this season.