‘Always’: Hasenhuttl says one Arsenal man troubles Southampton every time, but Arteta may drop him tomorrow

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Southampton boss Ralph Hasenhuttl has claimed that Arsenal star Alexandre Lacazette is always very strong against his side.

The Gunners take on the Saints at the St Mary’s tomorrow in what is a must-win game. Back to back defeats in the Premier League for Mikel Arteta’s side has handed Tottenham a huge opportunity to finish in the top four, but it’s not over yet.

A win against Southampton on Saturday will push Arsenal level on points with Spurs again. and the North London derby next month could well act as the decider for the final Champions League spot.

Hasenhuttl was asked about Arsenal’s attack in his press conference yesterday and he singled out one particular player.

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Hasenhuttl: Arsenal star Lacazette is always strong against Southampton

The Southampton manager was asked about Arsenal’s young attack featuring Gabriel Martinelli, Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith Rowe and if he thinks they are terrific talents.

Hasenhuttl replied, as per Hampshire Live: “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.”

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Laca may not even start tomorrow

Arsenal’s two consecutive defeats in the Premier League against Crystal Palace and Brighton gave rise to a ton of criticism and most of it was directed at Lacazette.

The Frenchman is the Gunners’ number nine but his numbers don’t suggest that at all. He has scored just four goals in the Premier League all season, which is a shocking record for a striker, even though his role requires him to drop deep and link play up.

Many Arsenal fans have now urged Mikel Arteta to drop Lacazette in favour of Eddie Nketiah or even Martinelli, who can play up front.

Ex-Gunner Paul Merson has also claimed that he wouldn’t be surprised if Lacazette is dropped tomorrow, and we must say, we wouldn’t be too shocked either.

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