ARSENAL striker Alexandre Lacazette has been slammed for his attitude in a pre-match warm-up.
Lacazette had his boot laces undone while swapping passes with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang before Arsenal’s 2-0 win at Southampton.
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Former Liverpool and Atletico Madrid forward Florent Sinama-Pongolle, a pundit for French TV, said: “Lacazette is a substitute and doesn’t have his laces tied up – these are the little things that you have to guard against and be careful about.
“These little things unfortunately speak about the attitude and the team spirit at the moment.
“Arteta’s not their father and he can’t be a cop who’s behind them all the time – they’re professional players who have an image to give off and these are things that you have to sort out very, very quickly.”
Fearing for Arsenal’s future, he added: “Arsenal have some very good young players who I think can become great players for Arsenal, but without the commitment, the harmony and soul that should be in this team, it’s going to be difficult for the generations to come.”
Lacazette, along with captain Aubameyang has been linked with a move away from the Emirates.
The Frenchman, a transfer target for Atletico, was benched against Southampton with Eddie Nketiah starting and going on to score.
And Lacazette’s future faces further uncertainty after manager Mikel Arteta heaped heavy praise on the 21-year-old.
Arteta said: “Eddie since I joined, the maturity and personality that he plays [with in] every game is incredible.
“I demand a lot from the forward players to put the opponent under pressure and they’ve done it. A lot of the goals we score are because of the errors we force on the opponent.
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“In that heat to keep chasing players and putting them under pressure, sometimes it’s not a nice thing to do but when you get a goal and the mistakes they done that could have led to a few other goals, it’s really important.
“It generates belief in what they do and pays the price a little for the effort it makes.
“I am happy with Eddie, the way he’s played today again, but I am happy with the team and I’m really happy with the subs, the way they came and how much they helped the team and the attitude that they showed today.”
