2 – Lost Without Giroud
It pains me to say this but without Giroud this Arsenal side look to be going nowhere fast when it comes to breaking down teams.
Sure, we scored three goals against Liverpool but that was down to how open the game was, this was an entirely different situation and without a figurehead up top we were lost.
Earlier in the week Wenger compared Alexis to that of Luis Suarez, and suggested plans to convert the Chilean into a quality centre forward if there are shortcomings in the transfer window.
As much as we’d all love to see Alexis banging in goals every week, it’s just not a position for him in this Arsenal squad, unless the style of play changes, fast.
Alexis was seen constantly having to dip into the midfield to try to get involved with play, but by the time he’d done that Leicester’s defence were already settled.
I think we underrate Giroud’s benefit a lot, and whilst we are only interested in how he contributes in goals the Frenchman offers so much more standing at centre forward.
His ability in the air gives us the option to play long balls to get out of trouble, he’s then free to take it down and feed off to the midfield who can then spread wide.
Sure, Alexis can tire defences into the ground but without the aerial threat we only have one way to get a goal and after 45 minutes it all becomes way too predictable.
I’m not saying we don’t need a striker (we desperately do) but without that controlling figure leading the line Arsenal lose their bite, and all of a sudden it’s back to passing the ball around the area for five straight minutes.
So who do we need? We need a mix of both, someone who isn’t afraid to get stuck in but also has the composure in front of goal to take on goalkeepers at will.
That’s why I think Lacazette is the perfect candidate to put some fire into our attack, his desire is infectious, and unlike Giroud he’s capable of taking defenders on.