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Arsenal face Tottenham Hotspur in the first north London derby of the 2019/20 campaign. To give themselves the best chance of picking up all three points, one man in particular needs to be in the starting line-up.
On the chalkboard
It may have been against the European champions, but Arsenal were easily dispatched by Liverpool last Saturday. The 3-1 result was, in all fairness, lenient on the Gunners.
The Reds had 25 shots to their opponents' nine, which displays how they were far more dangerous going forward. There was a lack of tooth and threat in the Emirates outfit's attack, which makes the omission of Alexandre Lacazette even more perplexing. By the time he came on in the 80th minute, the game was all but over.
Check out fan reaction to Liverpool 3-1 Arsenal in the video below...
Lacazette is a big game player
Why Unai Emery plays the France international from the bench so often is bizarre. Last season the former Lyon man started just 27 of the 35 games he played in the Premier League, yet he still managed to score 13 goals and provide 10 assists for his teammates.
Who those contributions came against is even more intriguing. In the league, the 28-year-old scored against Liverpool, Tottenham, Chelsea and Everton, whilst he also turned provider against Manchester United. Manchester City were the only side in the top six he failed to contribute against. Add to that him netting against Valencia in the Europa League quarter-finals and in both legs of the semi-finals against Napoli, and his ability to make the difference in the big occasions is clear.
If we just look at matches against the other five teams that make up England's elite, a correlation can be made between his absence from the first XI and Arsenal's poor showings. Last term, he was used as a substitute for half of the 10 games against their closest rivals; Emery's team won just one and picked up four points overall. However, when he played from the beginning, they were beaten on only one occasion and earned eight points.
There is a perception that a lot of Arsenal's success rests on the shoulders of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, and rightly so. After all, he was the league's joint-top goalscorer last year. However, the role Lacazette plays in big games should not be underestimated, and as such he should play from the off this Sunday, whether it be alongside or instead of the Gabon international.
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