Arsenal's upturn in form since the turn of the year has seen Alexandre Lacazette play a starring role. Richard Jolly assesses how the Frenchman has adapted to become a key cog.
- This article was published prior to Arsenal's 2-0 win over Leicester on Sunday.
In one respect, Arsenal’s front man got an assist at Watford on Sunday. The leader of their attack definitely got two.
While Mikel Arteta’s quick throw, which led to Gabriel Martinelli’s goal, won’t be reflected in the assist charts, Alexandre Lacazette’s two crucial contributions will be.
It took the Frenchman to seven assists in the Premier League this season, four of them in his last four games, all since Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s last appearance for the Gunners.
None of the five men ahead of him normally plays as a centre-forward. He seems in a private battle with Michail Antonio, who is also on seven, to be officially the most creative striker in the division.
Lacazette is only one short of his career best tally of eight assists, set in 2018-19. He is also less prolific than ever before. He has been in double figures for league goals in each of the last eight seasons, but currently sits on just three.
There is a case for arguing that Lacazette’s numbers should be the other way around. His xG (expected goals) for the season is 6.51, his xA (expected assists) just 2.32.
Perhaps it would make more sense if he had seven goals and three assists.
Gunners firing clinical shots
Certainly Lacazette is benefitting from some fine finishing elsewhere in an Arsenal squad now in pole position to clinch fourth place.
Emile Smith Rowe, Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard have all dramatically outperformed their xG this season.
Lacazette's two assists on Sunday had xG values of 0.08 (Saka) and 0.06 (Gabriel Martinelli), while Smith Rowe’s goal against Brentford had an xG of 0.05 and Saka’s at Norwich of 0.06.
Martinelli’s strike against West Ham had an xG 0.24, so Lacazette presented him with a better chance, but the real exceptions were Gabriel's winner at Wolves (0.66) and Martinelli’s opener at Leeds (0.70).
Nevertheless, Lacazette is more creative than before. His expected assists per 95 minutes has gone up from 0.09 last season to 0.16 now, which he bettered only in 2017/18 (0.17). He averaged 1.02 key passes per 95 minutes last season, almost doubling that to 1.79 this term.
He is averaging 4.06 shot-creating actions per 95 minutes, almost twice last season’s figure of 2.15 and his best since such data was first available.
It shows a shift in duties within the Arsenal squad, as it is far higher than those of Martinelli (3.09) and Smith Rowe (3.00) and closer to Odegaard (4.49) and Saka (4.24). The supposed scorer is out-creating some of those who, in theory, are part of his supply line.
Look across the Premier League as a whole and that figure is more remarkable.
It puts Lacazette 13th, but everyone ahead of him is a winger, a No. 10, a central midfielder or an attacking full-back. He is the only player who features regularly as a centre-forward until Diogo Jota (34th, at 3.40); even he is sometimes used as a winger so the next player used almost exclusively as a striker is Emmanuel Dennis in 42nd place. Last season, in contrast, Lacazette ranked 115th.
The change in his game is apparent in his shooting statistics. He is averaging just 0.9 shots on target per 95 minutes, his lowest figure since he was 21 and at Lyon. In his most potent campaign, he averaged 1.80. Last season, he averaged 1.30.
Lacazette has had 32 shots so far. Saka (59) has had almost twice as many. He is fourth for Arsenal this season, behind the shot-happy Thomas Partey and the departed Aubameyang. He is fifth for shots on target per 95, with Aubameyang, Smith Rowe, Nicolas Pepe and Saka ahead of him.
Aubameyang offers a contrast: he averaged only 2.00 shot-creating actions per 95 minutes, got one assist for Arsenal this season and had an xA per 95 of just 0.06. Lacazette has proved a different kind of striker. A more successful kind, too: Arsenal have only won four of the 10 league games he didn’t start, but 11 of the 15 he did.
His transition from more of a penalty-box predator to one who operates deeper had already begun. In his first season at Arsenal, he had 622 touches in the final third, compared to 361 in the middle third. Now it is much closer – 265 to 235.
The Frenchman has carried the ball into the final third 13 times this season, more than in either of the previous two, which is indicative of the fact he is taking possession in the middle third instead. He has already equalled his personal best of seven tackles in his defensive third in a league season.
Maybe Lacazette is the genuine No. 9 who could become a false nine whereas Arteta has suggested Smith Rowe, Arsenal’s surprise top scorer, could graduate to become their centre-forward. Certainly there has been a bit of a job swap.
Lacazette is the scorer who has become a creator. Because since his first assist of the season, in December, he has the most in the Premier League.
