“Does it very well” – David Moyes highlights what Arsenal man is ‘very good’ at after his display in win over West Ham
West Ham United manager David Moyes has praised Alexandre Lacazette's ability to drop between the lines for Arsenal. The French forward started the game and led the Gunners last night after Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was sacked as club captain on Tuesday.
Lacazette set up two goals for Arsenal as they beat West Ham United 2-0 at the Emirates Stadium. The Arsenal forward kept dropping between West Ham's defensive line and their midfield to collect the ball without any pressure.
West Ham boss Moyes believes Lacazette was incredibly smart in timing his drop-down runs and caused the Hammers plenty of trouble with his movement.
"We battled hard but didn’t reach our standards."
🎙 The boss' verdict on last night's defeat...
The West Ham boss said (as reported by Football London):
“I think they are very good at it and Lacazette does it very well. Several teams are playing a false nine or dropped in nines. But I think for their goal if our full back had narrowed and been in a proper full-back position we would have stopped the gaol but we allowed them through to get in that space.”
Lacazette also had a chance to score when West Ham gave away a penalty after Vladimir Coufal fouled the striker inside the box. While many fans complained about referee Anthony Taylor's decision, Moyes felt it was his defender's fault. Lacazette's effort was saved, however, by Lukasz Fabianski.
West Ham have done incredibly well this season and will be looking to continue their fight for a top-four spot at the end of the season. Moyes' men have already proved to be a thorn in the side of Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal in the league.
Three Premier League giants (Manchester United, Arsenal and Spurs) are fighting to get into the top four behind Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester City. West Ham have added their name to the royal rumble as well.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta coy about Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
So, in which ways did @LacazetteAlex impress the manager in #ARSWHU?
🗣 "His intensity, his link-up play, his understanding of the spaces, how he makes everybody better around him."
Most of the talk before the match was about Arsenal and their decision to sack Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang as club captain. The Gunners stripped him of the armband and have now suspended him for two consecutive games for his disciplinary issue.
As it turned out, Arsenal cruised to another win without the Gabonese international in the squad. Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta was asked about the player's future at the club in the post-match conference.
Arteta gave a short answer by saying that there is no news on Aubameyang and refused to divulge more on the matter. His response, as well as recent events, could mean the forward's time at the club might be coming to an abrupt end.