Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
‘Lacazette needs to cool down’
ARSENAL head coach Unai Emery revealed he spoke to Alexandre Lacazette about controlling his temperament after the striker was sent off during a surprise Europa League defeat to BATE Borisov.
Lacazette missed a glorious opportunity to open the scoring in the first half and saw an equaliser to Stanislav Dragun’s header ruled out for offside as the Gunners lost 1-0 in Belarus.
He was then dismissed with five minutes remaining for swinging an elbow towards Aleksandar Filipovic as they tussled for the ball.
After the game, Emery admitted he had already had words with Lacazette about the issue – with the Frenchman now banned for t he return l eg i n London next Thursday.
“I didn’t see the action but we spoke and his frustration needs controlling,” he said.
“It’s bad news with the red card.
“Next week we aren’t going to play with him but now we are going to think with the players that are OK for next week. “It’s a difficult match. “I trust in our players and I trust in our stadium and supporters,” he said.
Lacazette later posted an apology on Twitter, backing his team-mates to overcome the deficit without him.
“Letting the team down like that i s the worst feeling,” he wrote.
“I should have stayed calm but it’s not always easy. Sorry.
“There are still 90 minutes to play and I believe my team-mates will make it to the next round.”