Arsenal got their Premier League season off to the perfect start with a 3-0 win at Fulham on Saturday – and Alexandre Lacazette says perfection is exactly what Mikel Arteta expects.
Lacazette’s record-breaking early finish was added to by goals from Gabriel Magalhaes and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, with newcomers Gabriel and Willian particularly impressing.
Arteta will want his players to keep their feet on the ground after beating a side freshly promoted from the Championship, but the forward took heart from their performance.
‘It was the best way to start the season,’ Lacazette told Arsenal’s official website.
‘We wanted to win today and get the clean sheet. Defensively I think we did some good stuff and respected what the coach wanted. At the end, we won so everyone is happy today.
‘He [Arteta] wants us to be perfect. We work a lot in the week for this kind of game because we know it’s really important for the season. We have to respect what he wants.
‘We want to be aggressive with the ball and without the ball. We just want to improve in every aspect of the game. This is why we work every day, every week, to be better.’
Now in his fourth season at the Emirates Stadium, Lacazette had been linked with a move away from north London but he pledged his future to the club ahead of Saturday’s game.
After securing three points, he reiterated his contentment, adding he wants to improve on his own performances from last season.
He added: ‘I am really happy. It’s only the press that says I’m not happy. From the beginning I’ve said I am happy at Arsenal and I want to play and win titles. We won a title last month so I am happy with Arsenal.
‘We have a lot of big ambition. We know Auba is going to score a lot of goals this season. I want to help the team to be on top, I know it’s my job. It’s not for me to [just] play and do the link-ups so I will try and do my best this season.’
Arsenal’s next game will see them host West Ham in the Premier League on Saturday.