Lucas Perez says his stats so far for the season are ‘pretty good’ and stressed that patience is a virtue when you’re a footballer who isn’t playing as much as he might wish.
The Spaniard, who signed from Deportivo La Coruna in a deal worth £17 million this summer, has seven goals and six assists in 19 appearances so far this season; an efficient return in light of the competition for attacking places at Arsenal.
Speaking to the official matchday programme ahead of the Bayern Munich game, the Spaniard also admitted he’d obviously like more minutes on the pitch.
“I’ve not really played a lot but when I have, I’ve performed to the best of my ability,” he said.
“It’s all about the team so when any one individual is selected to play, he has to do his very best. I think if you look at how many minutes I’ve played and what seems proportionate for the team, my stats are pretty good.
“Of course, I’d have liked to spend longer on the pitch but we have a big squad and some great players here at Arsenal.
He added: “Selection is the job of the manager. He does what’s best for the team. Of course, Arsenal has many great players.
“The only thing you can do is work hard and wait for your chance to play. You don’t have a choice. At any moment you can be asked to play, you’re on the pitch and you play as well as you can. That’s football, you just have to be patient.”
Lucas also reflected on how welcome he’s been made to feel by the supporters, many of whom are bemused by the fact he’s spent so much time on the substitutes’ bench.
“I moved from a team that wasn’t as well-known as some so people probably didn’t know me but from the start everyone has been very respectful and appreciative, for which I’m grateful
“Obviously Arsenal fans are used to having the best players here, so when they show their affection for you, it makes you feel both grateful and happy.”
Nice guy Perez
I genuinely feel sorry for him. He has bags of experience; at the peak of his career; his performances have warranted so much more game time in much bigger fixtures then what Arsene has given him. Like I almost just think what was the point in signing this guy? Its mental that he hasn’t been given more game time in any of those front 4 positions. Especially on the weekend. In my opinion he is so much better than Walcott, Iwobi and Chamberlain. Its crazy that Arsene hasn’t given him more game time. If I was picking the team, I… Read more »
Ze Bayern at home. What an occassion. The boys will need all our help.
Appropriately enough, here are a few songs me and my Arsenal fan mates will treat the Emirates with (in between prolonged moments of silence/booing):
We want our Arsenal back!
Lets make Arsenal great again!
Wagner ahht (old favourite)
Lock him up!
Wenger unleash this fella
Just me – but surely play our best 11 players tonight? Sanchez at no.10, Giroud Welbz Lucas front 3, Xhaka and Rambo/Ox behind. Fuck it, you gotta go for it
Sry but I don’t feel that the words Best XI and Rambo and Ox should be used in the same sentence without also the use of the word ‘not’ in there somewhere.
Sry, ‘I feel’ in the first line.
A little pre-occupied with nots while writing that sentence, clearly.
Both would get into my Thursday night team and be clearly in the best eleven.
I see you are already getting into the spirit of Thursday night games for next season.
Cech
Bellerin Kos Mustafi Monreal
Xhaka Cazorla
Welbeck Ozil Sanchez
Giroud
Who would you say Rambo and Ox get in ahead of.
Drunk, JB did say “tonight” and Two of the players you listed aren’t available for selection. So, yeah, it’s Ox or Ramsey in Mid, and no Ozil.
Someone’s using two names on here JB/Mpls?
Excellent opportunity to give him the full 90 mins tonight. Hasn’t let us down at all so far this season.
seriously! what does he have to do?
Move Ox to the midfield instead of Coq and put Perez, Sanchez, and maybe Welbeck together up top.
Also, BeIN sports are reporting that Wenger has told the players he is leaving at the end of the year….
yeah i read something about that. the news first came in a italian site. wonder if that is even genuine
I see the PR machinery buzzing with activity.
‘Let’s make the other disgruntled guy say something positive so that Alexis can’t isolate his wingman’
I find it odd that Lucas hasn’t quite celebrated most of his goals. Last i saw him smile was when Xhaka scored that thunderbolt and proceeded to do his ‘silencio’ hand gesture. Think that Lucas has a nasty streak in him which is getting stifled at the nice and cultured Arsenal.
In reckon Alexis, Lucas and Ospina are off in the summer.
What a load of bullshit!
Don’t see lucas leaving.just can’t imagine a man finally getting a shot at a ‘big club’ and leaving after one year, irrespective of playing time.
Stranger things have happened, Gervinho for instead played regularly and was sold after two, so its not beyond the realms of possibility
Gervinho couldn’t shoot a squirtgun and lost his confidence. Lucas seems made of sterner stuff so far.
He will stay and be looking forward to next season when he will be given alot more oportunities due to a couple of major departures. Bye Alexis it was short but sweet. Bye Wenger it was long but sweet now sour.
Should deffo be given a chance tonight.
While accepting he’s not as talented as Alexis, Perez shows you can be an effective player without histrionics or moaning about not getting enough game time. Class act and a decent player!
Wenger: Tonight I will starting with Ospina-Bellerin-Mustafi-Kos-Gibbs-Ramsey-Xhaka-Ox-Sanchez-Welbz-Perez
Inner Wenger: Give that people a hope, cause tonight I will still starting with Ospina-Bellerin-Mustafi-Kos-Monreal-Coq-Xhaka-Walcott-Iwobi-Welbz-Giroud
Play him!!
I honestly cannot put my finger on what’s wrong with our team. It’s just does my head in, what’s wrong with mesut? Why doesn’t Perez play more? Why do we have good defenders but a shitty defence? So many questions mehn
Midfield.
Ozil needs solidity behind him. Perez is competing with a couple usually solid choices for CF, and best when freed up with solidity behind him similar to Ozil, but does put in his shift I should say (since he seems to get wing selections).
Its not that difficult actually. Our team is full of people incompatible with each other playing in an incompatible formation. E.g. We have 2 medium height defenders neither of whom is particularly good in the air. And we play them in a high line without a tall central midfielder. So we get what happened at liverpool (the same happened regularly with kos-vermaelen as well), our right back is young (so he is expected to make positional mistakes) but there is no extra protection for him (a lot of times he has played behind iwobi who is himself young but also… Read more »
Start all four strikers tonight. Alexis as no.10. Nothing to lose.
he definitely deserves a start tonight whatever his stats are. The stats for the team the past few months are terrible so stats shouldn’t come into it. Let him loose and then we can all see his ability against a top team. Iwobi will start ahead of him though unless his foot has come off in training this week.
He actually reminds me of Alexis quite a bit and I have made that comparison before he arrived here. While he is not as good as Alexis he likes to get on the ball and always gives 100%
Hopefully he will get a run of games and continue his fine form, also would give Iwobi a little break and take some unwarranted heat from him.
Best of luck to the guy though, we could do with more players with his attitude
i might get lot of thumbs down ..but i think i know why wenger is hesitant to start lucaz. l really like him as a player. he is first and foremost a fighter , the player comes next. and thats why i think wenger doesnt prefer him. in terms of technique he is inferior to walcot which frankly isint that much . so wenger probably considers it a waste too invest in him. i think the same problem affected campbell . wenger prefers a lazy player with good technique than a hardworking player with limited technique. if you look at… Read more »
Bollocks he is technically inferior to Walcott.
He can dribble, for one. So your case is moot.
Lucas has better technique than Theo.
And he has vision.
He has been linking well with Giroud and Welbeck.
Walcott is like a one shot weapon. And if the opponents understand how its deployed, they can null him very quickly.
i might get lot of thumbs down ..but i think i know why wenger is hesitant to start lucaz. l really like him as a player. he is first and foremost a fighter , the player comes next. and thats why i think wenger doesnt prefer him. in terms of technique he is inferior to walcot which frankly isint that much . so wenger probably considers it a waste too invest in him. i think the same problem affected campbell . wenger prefers a lazy player with good technique than a hardworking player with limited technique. if you look at… Read more »
Inferior to Walcot, have you actually watched him? The lay-off to Mesut for the 4th/5th goal in CL home leg was light years ahead of anything Theo could even imagine. Then, the level of technique required for his goal at Bournmouth – again, way beyond Walcot.
Prone to exaggeration much. Walcott has scored better goals than Perez’ against Bournemouth. I don’t think Walcott is a million miles away from Perez but it’s surprising to see our second highest goalscorer this season (including goals against Chelsea, Liverpool and City, Sanchez has only netted against Chelsea by comparison) get this much flak. Especially in favour of someone who’s only started very winnable games and hasn’t really been tested.
You really don’t know how to play football do you loose cannon.
Luckily for us Theo does…
I hate these sort of arguments.
I’m all for stats to support an argument, but simply throwing out “second top scorer” means nothing at all as it gives little context.
I bet yo were one of those people that defended Denilson to death, pointing towards his pass completion rate as evidence for why he was better than Fabregas.
The context were goals against Chelsea, Liverpool, City and now Bayern! Please, your comment was garbage
There are players in the 4th division with better technique than Walcott. Jeez go to a game and watch him rather than relying on show reels of his goals.
What’s the odds on a 3-0 win tonight?
none
What about 4-0 to us up to 90th minute and Bayern score some freak goal?
About one in … one.
I can only wish we beat them with a clean sheet. But as long as Robben, Lewandowski and Muller are fit we have an enormous mountain to climb. They are way too good for us. But I hope our boys prove us wrong and really grab the game by the scrotum and take it to them. COYG!
Let’s get rid of Sanchez a couple of games and introduce Lucas with a real joy to play without constantly thinking of his own lil ego.
No shit, Sherlock!
would love to see the following line up tonight… just for the sake of trying it and coz I believe it could be interesting to watch.
Ospina
Bellerin KOS Holding Gibbs
ox xhaka Alexis
Welbeck Giroud Lucas
In any case, will be behind the team and the manager tonight. COYG!!!
I’d go ospina
Bellerin..kos.holding..gibbs
Xakai…elney
Ox
Lusas….wellbeck…Sanchez
If you are putting in Elneny with his injury you may as well play Santi as well! 🙂
**** it
Put in Sonogo
If Lucas doesn’t start and Ramsey or Walcott do I am going to scream and scream until I am sick!
🙂
SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM “now clear that mess up Arsene!” 🙂
I know people keep mentioning Lucas to play as a winger, but I’m of the opinion of playing him as a striker.
Considering for 2 years I campaigned for Sanchez as a CF and was glad to be proven right, point is he’s off come summer.
So i’d rather give Lucas that chance up front and move Sanchez back to LW in place of Iwobi and see where we go from there.
Ospina
Bell Kos Mus Gibbs
Coq Xhaka
Ox
Welb Sanch Lucas
I don’t see the point of starting Giroud when their entire team is 6ft plus
I don’t see the point of starting Walcott with his current form
Tell Coq to focus SOLELY on DEFENDING. Stop him from making forward runs. Stop trying to make him a Kante, it clearly hasn’t been working. I don not want to see Coq’s name on that “Attempts on Goal”
Great attitude and he’s a real grafter. Hope the club dont assume he is happy to wait forever.
Alexis to the left and Perez up front? Give Iwobi a break tonight.
What’s the bet we will finish tonight 1 goal shy of making it. If a miracle is going to happen then football seems a good place to witness it.
Start him! PLEASE!
He’s an experience player with plenty of guile, uses the ball well, will take some of the attention off of Alexis.
Wenger’s like the man who knows how to buy well (and on a bargain) but then doesn’t quite exactly know how to use his tools best.
Don’t start Walcott. Start Lucas.
Theo can come in later in the game but with tight encounters, you want players with a bit of fight and a bit of nuance.
Its ridiculous. He buys himself an excellent tool for a great price, people admire its function when he brings it out on occasion but in general, he hangs it up as an ornament instead. I’ve said it before, Wenger flatters to deceive in actual fact because he is good in the market and it covers his tactical flaws (or at very least he is an idealist) Not saying Lucas WILL make the difference, but we lack experience to fight through difficult games against top opponents as born out by our result in the mini league. Certain players have more experience/hunger… Read more »
This guy deserves some games. Let’s have a saving grace this season.