Unai Emery has responded to Alexandre Lacazette's interview where he stated that he could be happier if given more playtime.
It is the dream of every player to be on the pitch for 90 minutes, so the Frenchman's demand is nothing strange
As the second best player in terms of goals at the club right now, Laca feels he can give a better tally if played more often.
He is not pleased with the fact that the manager starts him from the bench at times or even leaves him out totally on other occasions.
He said: “I am happy when I play, of course, like any player.
“When I’m on the pitch, of course there is joy. On the field and off, I keep smiling. You have to smile in life.
“I do one of the most beautiful jobs in the world, even if I could be even happier.”
The Spanish boss then countered by setting things down straight. He explained how he as the head shuffles the team to fit different situations.
“Every player wants to play each match for 90 minutes, but as a manager I need to use the player in the best moment,” Emery said.
“Maybe sometimes that is playing 90 minutes, maybe sometimes that is starting on the bench. But to convince the player that is very difficult.
“When I was speaking about two important strikers, Lacazette and [Pierre-Emerick] Aubameyang, sometimes our performances are better with both, but sometimes our big performances are better with only one, and after they make an impact replacing another striker.
“This is because the idea and the system of the opposition gives us the idea to do something different.
“To convince the player that is the most difficult thing, but I am very proud of both because they are scoring a lot, they are playing a lot, and sometimes they are starting as both, and sometimes they are just starting as one.
“This is the first reason I take this decision with the players, and it’s the same reason we started playing with Cech, who gave us good performances before his injury, before we started playing [Bernd] Leno, who gave us good and important performances also.”
Lacazette has been in fine form this season, scoring crucial goals when they mattered most. He was on target in our 1-0 win over Napoli which made it 3-0 on aggregate at the quarter-final stage of the Europa League.
Arsenal will now play Valencia in the semis as they look forward to winning the trophy in Baku later in May.
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