Numerous big name signings have occurred during this transfer windows. Several clubs have broken the bank to purchase players. A number of teams have broken their transfer record, with Man City paying €57m for Benjamin Mendy. While the season draws nearer, top EPL clubs have bolstered their attacking ranks with Chelsea acquiring Alvaro Morata, Arsenal recruiting Alexandre Lacazette, Man Utd purchasing Romelu Lukaku. There's a lookout for a scapegoat amidst them. Someone who will flop, and while pre-season has exposed some of their weaknesses, majority of people have given their opinion on why it might be Lacazette who will flop his lines. However here are Five Reasons Why Lacazette Might Flop At Arsenal
1.There’s a lot of pressure on him at Arsenal
Arsenal are coming to the 2017/2018 season with a backlog of disappointments. One is it was the first time they’d dropped out of the top four places since they first made it to the upper reaches of the table in 1996/97, and to rub salt into the wounds it was the first time they’d finished below bitter rivals Tottenham since the Premier League began.
Lacazette is coming to Arsenal in a time where they need him most. Olivier Giroud has been under-performing, Danny Welbeck can’t be trusted and Alexis Sanchez looks certain to leave. All hopes are on him. There’s a lot of pressure heaped on him to succeed. Remember, he was bought for a fee of 46.5 million, a fee that broke Arsenal transfer record.
2. He’s not a Big Game Player : Before Arsene Wenger bought Lacazette, fellow rival, Jose Mourinho was also on the lookout for a striker, a physical one just like Zlatan Ibrahimovic. He sent scouts to the major leagues. Scouting reports revealed that Lacazette isn’t a big game player, meaning He fails to perform during big game and since Man United would be involved in the Champions League, Mourinho opted for Lukaku. However, this factor has been evident in Arsenal’s pre-season as Lacazette has failed to score against the big teams they faced. Against Chelsea, he produced a lacklustre performance and against Benfica, he had a poor ball control.
3. Ligue 1 Mentality: While Ligue 1 remains one of the top 5 leagues in the world, its quality can’t be compared to the Premier League. Truth to be told, Ligue 1 isn’t a big league. It is a league for average players. The more reason why premier league flops like Balotelli and Depay are flourishing there.
You can't come to the Premier League and score 40 goals like Ibra did during his time at PSG. Fatigue, 3 games within 6 games and some life-threatening injuries makes it more complicated for a player crossing over from France.
4. The Physicality Of The Premier League: Can Lacazette deliver against teams like Stoke City or physical defenders like Vincent Kompany and Nicholas Otamendi or rather at Crystal Palace who have tough defenders like Damien Delaney and Sakho? The physical game of the Premier League makes it difficult for Players who are of lightweight to thrive well. The major reason why Diego Costa was a success at Chelsea was because he was adapted to playing the physical game and given his body weight, he was just too tough to handle for Defenders. Lacazette did score 7 goals in European competition last season but majority of those goals came against little sides and not against Europe's elite teams. So whether Lacazette can deliver against tough defences, week in, week out, is still a question mark.
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| Will Lacazette be able to deliver against teams like Stoke? |
5. Arsenal Playing Style: Arsenal playing style is synonymous to Barca's. They like to stretch opponents' Defence by maintaining possession. This weakens defenders as they run after the ball. Here, all the players are involved in the ball playing process. The main reason why Giroud isn't making waves as expected is due to the fact that He can't hold possession. In Barcelona, Suarez, Neymar and Messi know how to tap the ball around and make runs with it. This is an area that might take time for Lacazette to adapt to. Lyon don't operate with this style and Lacazette isn't a creative player as well, He only managed 3 assists in 2408 minutes while Suarez had 13 assists.
P.S: While Lacazette might go on to prove doubters wrong, let's not forget he would be donning the Number 9 shirt which is somewhat associated with ill-luck. Most players who wore the Number 9 jersey were flops from Julio Baptista, Antonio Reyes and Lucas Perez.
Written By Otolorin Olabode
otolorinolabode@gmail.com
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