Wright explains how Lacazette is causing an issue at Arsenal
Ian Wright thinks Alexandre Lacazette is “coming way too deep” during matches after Arsenal beat Wolves 2-1 on Thursday night.
The Gunners had looked on course to lose ground on the sides above them in the race for a top-four finish but ultimately ran out winners as Jose Sa palmed Lacazette’s effort into his own net in the closing stages.
Earlier, Hwang Hee-chan had been gifted the chance to put Wolves ahead after a mistake from Gabriel Magalhaes and they appeared set to leapfrog Arsenal into fifth before two goals in the last eight minutes turned the game on its head.
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Club-record signing Nicolas Pepe levelled with a smart turn and finish just 11 minutes after he came off the bench, but it was Sa’s unfortunate glove which completed a comeback for Arteta’s side – who now sit just a point behind fourth-placed Manchester United with two games in hand.
Lacazette endured a frustrating evening and is still without a league goal from open play since December 11 but he kept going until the last, eventually helping Arsenal over the line.
And Arsenal legend Wright believes that Lacazette needs to act as a “focal point” for the Gunners and stop droping deep to receive the ball.
“Ben White and Gabriel, the partnership is starting to work very well, like Partey and Xhaka,” Wright told Premier League Productions.
“We just need a little bit more going forward. Odegaard, for me, is the glue for everything.
“We need more goals, we definitely need more goals.
“I’d like to see more goals from someone like Lacazette. I think some of the time he’s coming way too deep. We need a focal point because we’ve got players who can run off of him.
“I’d like him to stay up there a little bit more, we know he has to link but stay up there a little bit more, give us someone to hit.”
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Fellow pundit Paul Ince added: “I think when you’re running past your own midfield players something’s not quite right.
“We’ve seen with Ronaldo at United, if he doesn’t get the ball he gets deeper and deeper because he wants to be involved in the game, but then by doing that once you gain possession there’s nothing up top.
“With Odegaard I thought he was okay today, I didn’t think he was great. But you’ve got to get the ball to his feet, he’s the one who gets things going, he’s the one who gets the attackers going and if he doesn’t it nullifies Arsenal as an attacking force.
“But defensively I think they’re great, they’re a lot better than they were before, they look solid.”
