‘Always’: Hasenhuttl says one Arsenal man who Arteta may drop tomorrow troubles Southampton every time
Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhuttl has stated that Arsenal star Alexandre Lacazette is always a threat to his team.
The Gunners face the Saints in a must-win game tomorrow at St Mary’s.
Back-to-back Premier League defeats for Mikel Arteta’s team have cost Tottenham a chance to finish in the top four, but it’s not over yet.
With a win over Southampton on Saturday, Arsenal will once again be level on points with Tottenham.
The North London derby next month could be the deciding factor for the final Champions League spot.
In his news conference yesterday, Hasenhuttl was asked about Arsenal’s attack, and he picked out one man in particular.
The Southampton boss was asked if he feels Arsenal’s young attack, which includes Gabriel Martinelli, Bukayo Saka, and Emile Smith Rowe, is a great talent.
According to Hampshire Live, Hasenhuttl responded: “Yes, but Lacazette is always a player who is strong against us. They have qualities up front and to defend against them you have to be committed and to have the right pressing line, the right height of the back four, and when you have this, it can be tough to score goals.
“I think we have shown, especially in the first 15 minutes in the away game against them, that we can cause them some problems, but then one mistake and they play through our lines and score a goal, and it was a bit too easy.
“But this is a good team and when they are playing well, they can definitely stress you, so we have to find a way to have a good balance of what we need to do.”
The Frenchman is the Gunners’ number nine, but his statistics don’t show it. He has only scored four goals in the Premier League this season, which is a dismal record for a striker, despite the fact that his job demands him to drop deep and connect play up.
Many Arsenal fans have now encouraged Mikel Arteta to put Eddie Nketiah or perhaps Martinelli up front instead of Lacazette.
Ex-Gunner Paul Merson has also stated that he would not be surprised if Lacazette is dropped tomorrow.
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‘Always’: Hasenhuttl says one Arsenal man who Arteta may drop tomorrow troubles Southampton every time
