Alexandre Lacazette discusses his return to form at Lyon after leaving Arsenal as he scores his 20th league goal of the season and 24th in total.

• Alexandre Lacazette reflects his return to form at Lyon, scoring 20 league goals this season and 24 in all competitions (33 games, 5 assists).
• In an interview with Téléfoot, Lacazette talks about the pressure since rejoining Lyon.
• The French striker’s influence at Lyon may help the team qualify for European competitions next season.

In an interview with Téléfoot, Alexandre Lacazette opened up about his return to form since rejoining Lyon this summer after what many would consider five mostly average years at Arsenal.

The 31-year-old was made captain on his return and has already scored 20 league goals, bringing his Lyon career total to 153 goals, and 48 assists, in 308 games.

This season, he is averaging a goal or assist every 92 minutes. In his final season at Arsenal is was every 150.

Lacazette’s homecoming and adapting to change

In a recent interview with Téléfoot, Lacazette discussed his homecoming and how he found “many things had changed” and “the pressure was different.”

However, from an Arsenal perspective, the striker seems to have had no issues in returning to his pre-2017 goalscoring form in the same league Folarin Balogun is also finding success.

The former French international acknowledged that the additional pressure he found himself under stemmed from his struggles during his final season with the Gunners when he scored just four league goals and six in total.

He said, “Because many people thought I was finished, and were saying that I wouldn’t succeed, that the club was making a mistake. I wanted to show that Lyon were right in calling on me.”

Lacazette also revealed that returning to Lyon allowed him to be closer to his friends and family and provided an opportunity to help the club climb back to the top of Ligue 1.

Lacazette scores 20th league goal

In their most recent match against Marseille, Lyon suffered a heart-wrenching loss due to an injury-time own goal.

Despite Lyon’s dominant performance throughout, Marseille managed to secure their first victory at the Groupama Stadium since 2007.

Although chances were scarce in the match, Lacazette fired over from close range in the first half but found themselves a goal down at the break.

Eventually, the striker netted his 20th league goal of the season, drawing Lyon level with just over 20 minutes remaining.

However, a late clearance hit Lyon substitute Malo Gusto and the ball bobbled into the net in the 92nd-minute. The own goal handed Marseille their 2-1 win.

The game also featured Sead Kolasinac, who is also enjoying something of a renaissance in France, and Matteo Guendouzi, who seems certain to leave Marseille this summer with the Premier League his likely destination.

Arsenal memories and achievements

During his time at Arsenal, Lacazette netted 71 goals in 206 appearances. His contributions helped the team secure the 2020 FA Cup.

Overall, however, I think most fans look back at Lacazette’s time at the club as underwhelming.

He arrived in 2017 for a fee of €53m and never really found the same sort of scoring form in England that had shown in France before or since, which in itself seems telling.

Lyon’s European competition prospects

With Lacazette’s return to form and leadership on the pitch, Lyon still have a slim chance of qualifying for European competitions next season. They currently sit in seventh place, six points behind Europa Conference League qualifying fifth.

The striker’s experience and influence will be crucial as the team looks to improve their performances and climb the Ligue 1 table.

As Lacazette continues to demonstrate his goalscoring prowess at Lyon, Arsenal fans will no doubt be watching with interest and wishing him the best.

His story serves as a reminder that with determination and hard work, players can bounce back and prove their doubters wrong when given the right conditions.