Emery’s shake-up will end road woes
ALEXANDRE LACAZETTE insists Arsenal are already making huge progress in life after Arsene Wenger and promises they will continue to improve.
Lacazette was man of the match in a thriller at Cardiff, scoring a dramatic late winner as Unai Emery’s new-look side prevailed 3-2.
Arsenal twice led but were pegged back by the promoted hosts on both occasions. Yet the Gunners still managed to earn their first away league win of the season and just their second in 2018, after finishing sixth last term in Wenger’s final campaign after 22 years as manager.
Lacazette believes Spaniard Emery, right, has already put his stamp on the side with his passing and pressing philosophy after building on the home win over West Ham.
The French striker says both players and fans are enjoying the new approach, despite the season-opening losses to champions Manchester City and Chelsea.
“I know with the new manager it can only be better. We will be better week after week,” said Lacazette. “You can see we had the mentality. Last season we lost this kind of game. But if you see the faces after the second goal we had confidence and that was why we came back.
“I think we’ve won just two games in 2018 away from home. This season we want to be better away and it was the first game we won, and I hope that it will be the first of many until the last day of the season.
“Overall it has been good even if we had two losses. They were against the two champions of the past two seasons. The quality of the games is good. Everyone can take pleasure to watch us play – even on the pitch.” Lacazette and fellow striker PierreEmerick Aubameyang were both on target for the first time this season at the Cardiff City Stadium. They showed a brilliant understanding for Aubameyang’s goal, as Lacazette cleverly flicked Mesut Ozil’s pass into his fellow forward’s path. It was only the fourth time the pair have linked up together since Aubameyang arrived from Borussia Dortmund in January. At least one of the duo has scored in those four games, contributing seven goals in all. Lacazette, who notched 17 goals last term after a £46million move from Lyon, said: “It is nice as we complement each other’s game. “It is always good to play with good players and he deserved to score as he has worked hard from the beginning of the season.
“Against Chelsea it was hard for him as he missed some chances but he has got over that, and it was nice to play well with him.
“The system was good, we worked on it all week. It was different, but good.
“It’s always going to be hard to be in the first XI at a club like this, but I always keep fighting and working.
“I won’t play every week just because of one game. Every day I have to work and show the coach I work well and I deserve my place.”
The Gunners’ display was far from perfect as Emery’s insistence on playing out from the back exposed goalkeeper Petr Cech to some nervous moments which gifted Cardiff chances. Lacazette said: “We just made mistakes because we are learning like children. But even if we made some mistakes we
deserved the win.”