Arsenal

Bacary Sagna talks up importance of "vital" Alexandre Lacazette

By Barney Corkhill, Editor | 08 April 2020

Former Arsenal defender Bacary Sagna insists that Alexandre Lacazette remains a "vital" part of the team, despite losing his place in Mikel Arteta's side to Eddie Nketiah.

Former Arsenal defender Bacary Sagna has talked up the importance of Alexandre Lacazette to Mikel Arteta's side.

Lacazette won Arsenal's Player of the Year award for 2018-19, but this term he has managed only nine goals across all competitions and has found himself behind Eddie Nketiah in the pecking order at times since the turn of the year.

Top-scorer Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has instead been given the majority of the plaudits for the Gunners this term, but Sagna is in no doubt that Lacazette remains an integral part of the squad.

"Laca is vital. He is the type of player who gives everything for the team. Of course you always see the one scoring the goals, like Aubameyang - who is a goalscoring machine - but the amount of work Laca puts in is amazing," Sagna told Goal.

"The way he holds the ball, the way he fights for the ball, the way he presses the defence. This is invisible work that not everyone will see. But for Arsenal 's system and the way they want to play, he is amazing. He can score many goals, in front of the goal he is clinical. But most of the time he has his back to the goal. When he receives the ball, he is trying to protect and defend the ball for other players.

"He is getting kicked for his teammates and this is why, for me, he is vital to the Arsenal system. He is running a lot. You know how tiring it is to run all the time and press from the front? It's very tiring, people don't realise how difficult it is. On top of this, yes you have to score goals. People will ask to score goals because we only remember goalscorers, but he is doing a lot."

Lacazette has started just 15 Premier League games this season, with Arsenal going on to win only two of those matches.