Alex Lacazette admits the Arsenal squad were shocked by the announcement that Arsene Wenger will leave the club this summer.
Last week, the France striker called on his teammates to win the Europa League in the hope it would save their season and keep the boss in a job. Now he wants to secure European silverware as a parting gift to the man who has dedicated 22 years to the club.
Speaking after his brace helped Arsenal to a 4-1 win over West Ham on Sunday, Lacazette told SFR Sports, “It was a special match. The first since we learned of the manager’s decision, but now we must think about other things.
“We need to finish the season well… I think that everyone was shocked, nobody was expecting it. But now it is part of football.
“We knew that at some point he would stop, we did not think it would be this year but now we have to deal with it… We want to win the Europa League for Wenger.”
With six goals to his name since returning from knee surgery at the start of this month, Lacazette looks very likely to start Thursday’s first-leg Europa League semi-final with Atletico Madrid – the team that had an agreement to sign him before a transfer ban precluded them from completing the deal.
Atletico went on to re-sign Diego Costa from Chelsea. Thankfully, it looks as though the Spaniard won’t be available this week, although he could return from a thigh problem in time for the second leg.
“The doctors will inform us but I think it won’t be possible for him [Costa] to be ready for Thursday’s game,” revealed Diego Simeone yesterday.
“He will be [available] for sure in the return leg, but I think he has no chance to be [fit] for the first leg game.”
Atleti is about to get hammered.. the boys are taking no prisoners. Though Wenger’s exit is sad for all of us, it has made the team united and very dangerous for any opposition
Let’s be honest though, we still can’t defend!
I am not sad. Its a celebration of football life. Got to go one day.
Yep, and for those of us with half a brain we were desperately hoping that his exit would have been planned carefully and that the Club would already have his successor lined up. Instead they’ve looked at the table, listened to the loud people calling for Wenger’s head, and pushed him out. Guess what? It wasn’t (only) Wenger holding us back all those years. He was fighting with one hand tied behind his back by the twats hiding behind him. We have no plan for replacing him. We have a smug self-satisfied cock in charge of the Club now (just… Read more »
This is actually a very interesting point. The timing of the announcement was a bit strange, wasn’t it? Why didn’t they just wait until the end of the season before telling Wenger he was out? OK, this gives everybody time to hand out all the praise, but from the club’s position everything’s a bit awkward. I have a feeling that everything came to a head between Wenger and Gazidis and then Le Prof was then brutally informed, in advance, of his fate. I bet the original plan was to wait until the summer, get the new guy in and then… Read more »
Kinda a makes a bit of sense to me. This way he gets a send off, fans united for last few games, and if we do lose to Athletico it feels a little bit less like a firing.
Really really hope we can go all the way though. Would be great to see him lift one last trophy with us.
Was going through atletico madrid tactics on youtube.If what youtube say’s it’s true, We need to be very careful of not mispassinng the ball in our half.I hope xhaka and mustafi are up to the task.Laca had to be very efficient though if we have to win this one.
i hope we win europa, it will be a perfect sendoff for arsene wenger..still in disbelief that we wont have him dishing out instructions on the touchline come next season.
He doesn’t really do that now to be fair
Yesterday I thought of something : Stan’s son got increased power in the club and within 10 days Wenger resigned. Remember his statement where he made sure he put all the good words together : fans experience, synergy, efficiency whatever ?
Finishing out of top 4 for consecutive years? 1 year could be deemed a fluke but 2…?
sorry I meant a *blip!
Let us turn all available stones.
Just ensure you guys eliminate all opposition on your way to delivering the trophy for the man that deserves it the most.
We are Arsenal, we fear no foes
#Letsdoit4wenger
Costa is a cunt
Lacazette could actually benefit from Wenger going. A new manager could get the best out of him. Just look what Klopp is doing to the career of the Ox.
Thursday’s game could be really interesting. I just hope that those players summon the spirit of last year’s FA Cup final and go out and do it for themselves and the fans. Champions’ League qualification is now massively important for the club. It would put the new manager in a great position if he could offer CL games to incoming players.
“Just look what Klopp is doing to the career of the Ox.”
More like the media doing to the career of the Ox i’d say.
Who is this Ox FG speaks of? Is he a Liverpool player or something? I mean all the best to the lad if he is but why should we care?
I don’t really see the Ox doing much better for The scousers than I did for us. He rarely starts and occasionally has a decent game. I thought that was the same when he played for us.
Ox has fewer goals and assists than Monreal leave it out
Iwobi’s numbers rival Ox’s.
Yeah, I hope a new manager can get Lacazette going–a mere six goals in his last six games (Oxlade-Chamberlain has one in his last 17 games, though with some assists).
I watched the Liverpool game tonight and they were pretty awesome. Still didn’t see anyone called Ox. Is he actually in the team?
Ox went off injured, very early in the game.
I came in late in the first half so I missed that. Well isn’t that a shame?
But as the Polish saying goes, not our circus, not our monkeys.
Let’s hope Laca carries his recent upsurge in form into Europa as well and Arsenal fire a healthy first leg emotionally charged by Wenger’s decision
Costa doesn’t have a thigh problem, he’s still trying to find his way out of Rob Holding’s pocket.
If Holding faces Costa in the 2nd leg I hope the ref will be watching carefully, because that nasty piece of work is probably going to try to clatter him early.
I’m quite sure the gaffer would want to see out the contract but given how poorly he has performed by his own standards plus the divisiveness, 2018 would be a reasonable exit as there will be more options in terms of replacement particularly post Wcup reshuffling. As for options up top, CF position is solid. Where I feel we need help is wide area. We lack sufficient pace (other than reliance on Bellerin or Monreal) out wide plus we could do with a player who can hold his own against 2 or 3 opponents, take them on from the wide… Read more »
wide positions can be filled by Danny, Auba, Mkhi, Iwobi and Ramsey
Wenger usually likes one winger to be speedy and the other to be more of a creator. Danny and Auba take the speedy role.
Ozil, Ramsey, Xhaka etc fill up 2 positions in MF easily.
DM, LB, RB, CF, GK – This is where the next rebuilding has to be done. 5 players are needed. thats about 200 M. I think Wenger got really pissed with the influx of morons. Usually he prefers intelligent players, and the kolasinacs, mustafis etc were a bit too much.
Lacazette finally finding some confidence in front of goal. Hope he gets his first hat trick against Athletico. At the back is our worry. If we keep pushing Bellerin forward, Greizzman will fill the pocket behind him and go one on one with Mustafi (we know who will win that foot race) More importantly there never really is anyone behind our last Cback to back him up (Koscielny has been too far from his partner) With Costa (possibly) to contend with, I feel somehow it may be better to go 3 at the back which gives a bit more security… Read more »