Alexandre Lacazette says he became weighed down with a lack of confidence when he went through a goal drought that lasted ten games in the middle of the season.
The French striker scored just one goal in 14 games, and subsequently underwent surgery for a knee problem that may have been a contributory factor to his lack of form.
Speaking to L’Equipe [full translation here via GFFN), he took full responsibility for it, but admitted he found it a burden as it was not something he’d experienced previously in his career.
“I had never experienced that,” he said. At night, when I would go home, I would repeat to myself, “Come on, next time it’ll go in!” But it didn’t. And I’d only realised this after five or six matches.
“Suddenly, I started asking myself, “How long has it been since I last scored a goal?” It started to bother me.
“I don’t know how the other strikers manage, but personally, it got to my head. I couldn’t blame anyone, it was all from me.
“I couldn’t blame the coach because he was giving me my chance on the field. I couldn’t blame my teammates since chances were being created.
“It was just me.”
On his return he finished the season with a flourish, scoring 8 times in the last 10 games, but it wasn’t sufficient to get him a place in the France World Cup squad. He is on the stand-by list, but it looks as if he’ll have a summer in front of the TV and a good pre-season under his belt ahead of the new Arsenal season.
Hopefully Griezmann transfers to manure then ruptures his knee during the unveiling ball juggling segment leaving his WC spot open for Lacazette to play with Giroud.
I’d rather a player of that quality be nowhere near Utd, injured or otherwise, thanks.
Shame for him but they’ve made some strange selections. Thauvin over him and no Rabiot spring to mind. Would love the latter here!
It would be strange if Thauvin had been a striker. But being a winger who just scored 20+ goals in the league alone plus laying on assists for his teammates, it starts to look less strange.
Thauvin is a member of WhoScored’s best eleven of the season across the five top leagues. With Messi, Ronaldo, and De Bruyne. Also Mustafi.
We won’t be getting Thauvin. He won’t come with a manager like Arteta and considering we are outside CL. Many fans do not realise the allure of the club is much less these days and will be tarnished with a poor select of new manager. We won’t be affording Mahrez either. Have very low opinion on the buying team. They will buy expedient to their ex-contacts and not what is needed for team balance. And it looks like the board will get a manager who is under firm control which does not augur well for power balance and attraction for… Read more »
“also Mustafi” ..and thats why stats can be shit sometimes.
Absolutely. Seeing thauvin play he’s not what his stats suggest. Ousmane dembele was also up there last year and his technical ability makes Walcott look like Messi.
To be fair when Mustafi is good, he is really good but when he is bad well, he is shiite. But only if cuts down on the mistakes and rashness he could do a Thauvin!!!
Thauvin or Mahrez.
Both score a healthy amount of goals but also assists.
They would be transformational for us because they would leverage the quick release ability of Granit better and allow us to break much quicker.
But we will be less likely to get either now without CL and particularly if the manager selected is inexperienced.
I have a feeling he’ll do alright next season …
Alright maybe. The issue I have with Lacazette is : 1) He cannot hold the ball for us when it is pumped forward from the back. He isn’t physically as imposing as Giroud and able to challenge and keep the ball. Many times we send it up to him to relief pressure and the Cbacks win it off of him. 2) He needs to learn to move toward the ball. He tends to wait for the ball to be played to him where Aubameyang tends to gamble toward it. If he can improve on this aspect, he will be poaching… Read more »
Duplicate post this? sort of
Will we ever be able to thumb again Bloggs??
I am not allowed to vote for this comment. I thought that only happened in Russia.
Help us we’re dying here
Now that is how you take responsibility. Nice one Lacca.
Happy for the way he ended his debut season and that he can take responsibility when things don’t work out for him.
Also, I really don’t have a problem for our players not going to the WC, we need a good pre-season and they need a rest.
That’s selfish. Laca now has a single WC possibility, the one on four years, to display his talent at the biggest world stage. He wasn’t at the last Euro.
We simply do not have the most exciting talent in France at the moment. It speaks of where we are as a club. Even if you look through Wcup feature, our players that are there will not be at the tip of everyone’s tongue. Maybe Bellerin, Iwobi or Granit but that’s it. In the squad, PEA is decent but the rest won’t exactly make top 20 in world football. Technically, we have also shed a lot of advantage. We don;t even compete against the likes of Leicester for the sort of technicality Mahrez brings them. The closest is Santi, an… Read more »
Whoever is the new manager will have a real opportunity pre-season as so few players are going to the World Cup. I think France have made a mistake not selecting Laca and England Jack but hopefully it will not affect their confidence.
They have an embarrassment of riches going forward.
Martial and Greizzman, Thauvin, Dembele with Giroud up top to play them in.
That said, I would bring Laca myself bc Giroud may get a knock.
As I mentioned before, the board has been very good at (easily) deluding many of our fans. A couple of supposed “wow” signings but frankly : 1) Aubameyang was a mistake to sign in January. At best we should have agreed terms but taken him in the summer leaving room to keep on Giroud to end of season bc of europa and our CL permutations. Instead we took on a cup tied player. 2) Lacazette many hailed (inexplicably) as “world class”. Whatever that means. He’s a good striker much like Aubameyang don’t get me wrong and excellent technique but France… Read more »
He was flying and was carrying that injury going into the United home game.
He’ll be much better this season.