When Alexandre Lacazette steps out onto the pitch for Arsenal at Selhurst Park, it will be hard not to think about his role in the Gunners’ last Premier League meeting with Crystal Palace.
Back in October, the former Lyon frontman had less than an hour of league football under his belt all season when he replaced Martin Odegaard at the Emirates Stadium. Mikel Arteta’s side hadn’t been at their best, looking fallible once more after launching a mini-recovery from their losing streak at the start of the campaign, and things got even worse when Odsonne Edouard put Palace in front.
At the time, Lacazette’s introduction felt like a decision borne more out of hope than expectation. However, since delivering an equalising goal deep into stoppage time, he has rebuilt his reputation in north London in a way which hadn’t always looked possible.
Strangely, given the excitement of the goal, Lacazette’s revival has come not with his scoring but rather his link-up play. He has impressed away from the box, rather than in a poacher’s role, allowing the likes of Odegaard and Bukayo Saka to find space and score goals.
As a result, Arsenal ’s grip on a top four finish has tightened. Dropped points from Manchester United on Saturday mean Arteta’s men have a little more margin for error with a home meeting with Ralf Rangnick’s side on the horizon, but they’ll still hope to leave nothing to chance when they travel south of the river on Monday night.
His input has become even more important for reasons few could have predicted, though. With Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang first dropped and then offloaded, Lacazette hasn’t just been encouraged to step up - he’s been required to.
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That’s not to say the goals have entirely dried up, though. His three since that Palace game have all come in victories for the Gunners, while he attempted to claim the last-gasp winner at home to Wolves before it was ultimately declared a Jose Sa own goal.
And in the last week, as if to remind fans he hasn’t lost the scoring touch but merely parked it off to one side, he scored a hat-trick for an Arsenal XI in a behind-closed-doors friendly against Brentford B. That number nine on the back of his shirt isn’t just for show, after all.
There are still question marks over Lacazette’s future, with his contract up in the summer. However, he knows as well as anyone else that the next few weeks could be decisive.
Arteta himself has stressed that the striker doesn't look like someone playing as if he's ready to leave. However, nor Lacazette doesn't look like a man trying too much to earn a new deal.
“We don't know what's going to happen at the end of the season," Arteta said in February. "We don't have contracts that run for 20 years, it's part of our job. He behaves like someone who wants to stay with us."
At the moment, we're seeing a striker who looks comfortable as part of a team. A striker who is happy to do just that and leave those contract discussions for another time.
“We scored right at the end and it was a tough match,” Arteta said of the reverse fixture against Palace. “We had some really good periods, some periods where we struggled.
“We conceded two very poor goals in that game with simple giveaways that put the game into a really difficult position. The team, especially at home, is doing really well and the coaching staff are doing a great job and we know how it is to play in their stadium."
If the home game against Crystal Palace was the start of Lacazette’s resurgence, the return fixture gives him a chance to cement the turnaround. And he’s not the only one who knows how tough things might be.
