I am a fan of Olivier Giroud and I do not think he is going to leave Arsenal. He is strong and able to hold up the ball well with a deft touch. Giroud’s attributes can only be seen as long as you have a midfielder who is willing to make runs behind the defenders. The only player in Arsenal who makes such runs is Aaron Ramsey and as Wenger rightly pointed out, Arsenal in the last two months have looked quite toothless especially in away games. This is because we have a very creative midfield but no direct runners.
Ramsey highlighted the way to make Giroud effective by making the runs and waiting for a pass from Giroud. It is no coincidence that two of Arsenal’s best goals including the goal by Jack Wilshere against NorwichCity and Tomas Rosicky against Sunderland have all involved Giroud in one capacity or another. In particular, the goal for Wilshere came due to some deft touches from Giroud. To put it simply, Giroud links up the attack while keeping the defenders occupied with his presence.
He also has very good movement around the box that creates space for the midfielders. Of course we all know Giroud needs to be more clinical with his finishing and take the chances presented to him. Having said that, it is worth noting Giroud scored 17 goals in his first season with Arsenal and had 11 assists. This season, he has already scored 20 goals and the season is not over yet. If he continues to improve he will be a massive asset to Arsenal.
I admit Arsenal require a more mobile player like Luis Suarez but only to compliment and not replace Giroud. This will add a different dimension to Arsenal’s attack and give us a bit of unpredictability. Let’s face it Giroud is never going to be a Thierry Henry gliding past players with ease and finishing with aplomb but he has the potential to improve his finishing if the goal against West Ham is anything to go by. For now, let us hope he can power the gunners into fourth place and in the process win over the fans.
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