With nine Premier League games, and hopefully two more wins in the FA cup, left for Arsenal to play this season, thoughts of the fans are bound to turn to the summer transfer window and our hopes of challenging for the title next season. Another early Champions League exit has also got people questioning what Arsene Wenger needs to do to get the improvement we all want.
A few TV and media pundits have suggested that one of the problems we have is that Olivier Giroud is just not good enough a centre forward if a team has ambitions of real glory and it seems like quite a few Arsenal fans are still not convinced by the Frenchman. Well I am here to tell you different and to provide clear evidence that Giroud can fire Arsenal to the Premier League title and lead us further in Europe.
Looking at this season and how the Gunners have fared when Giroud was injured and since he came back, there is a stark difference. I have ignored the first three games of the season against Crystal Palace, Besiktas and Everton as Giroud was not fully fit and did not start, even though he did come on and score an equaliser against Everton.
The big man then missed 10 EPL games, including the Man United defeat when he came on and scored that superb goal, and six cup games. Since he came back the big man has been available for 17 EPL games and eight cup games. I am not just looking at goals and assists because we all know that Giroud does a lot for the team and we are different when he leads the line.
Our record when Giroud was injured was 13 league points at an average of 1.3 per game and we scored 16 league goals at an average of 1.6 per game. Our cup record was three wins, one draw and two losses with 1.83 goals per game again.
Since his return we have taken 40 EPL points at an average of 2.35 per game while scoring 36 goals at an average of 2.21 per game. Our cup record has been seven wins from eight with 18 goals at an average of 2.25 per game.
Taking our league points per game as a guide, Arsenal with Giroud would finish this season with 89 points and without him our total would be 49. Need I say more? Okay, last season 89 points would have put us three points clear of Man City at the top while 49 would have seen us finish in 10th or 11th. And from the looks of things 89 points would be enough to win it again this year.
And for those who point to the fact that Giroud is in good form since his return and was not as good last year, I would point to the fact that his record, both at Arsenal and all his previous clubs, shows that he improves every single season. Now do you agree that Giroud is not the problem and Arsenal can achieve glory with him up front?
We need to get Sanogo back to give him some competition.
the reasoning in this article argues giroud has good stats. that is true. however, it does not follow that he is good ENOUGH. and it does not follow that there are not better attackers out there (that we can afford if we loosened our purse strings a bit). i dont believe giroud is good enough to lead us to PL title , let alone CL . good as he is, he is not at the level of 3 lead attackers arsenal had before giroud.
Yea, only proof that Giroud is capable of firing us to the title comes in the form of a Prem League trophy with him leading the line. The rest is just speculation.
My only question is whether OG can maintain this present form – I doubt it, but if he has moved on to a different level and can maintain it then I think it pretty churlish to suggest we couldn’t win the PL with him. Whilst stats can be misleading/useless/meaningless there is not much room for interpretation with “goals scored” – his rate this season is up there with the best in Europe (putting aside the freaks that are Messi and Ronaldo).
If anyone on here seriously thinks it is our front 4 and not our back 5/6 that is preventing us from mounting a proper challenge for the PL then you need to find another game/sport to watch.
Shitroud??
is he big name?
is he a big game player??
does he guarantee goals???
hes just not good enough….we need a world class striker to lead our attack…..
Get Falcao, Cavani, Benzema, Dybala….these players are world class big name and they guarantee goals
HAHAHAHAHAHA FALCAO???!!!!!!!!!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
Falcao fans fav……the fans want him…Wenger should grant the fans wish by signing him….
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What I find disturbing is Sanchez has no interest in finding OG. Is it that he was in the running for top scorer? I don’t know the answer but I have seen numerous times when OG has broken free and would only require a tap but Sanchez has chosen the shot.
Not sure they can iron that out but if they can it would make us more dangerous. I would also like our player on the right side to contribute more with goals, assists, shots, penetration.
This year OG has pace around him and if that continues I think OG might have 100 goals in his Arsenal career.
Easily.. He’s at nearly 80 goal contributions (goals and assists) in 2 1/2 seasons.
Pretty damn productive considering the amount of hate he received first 2 seasons.
Sanchez is a shoot first kind of player. He’s a killer with that drive, determination and self-belief. As frustrating as it is at times, we desperately needed that. We have so many players who are exceptional at certain elements of the game but we really needed that x-factor who’s capable of anything…
Unfortunately, selfishness seems to come with the ability
we have too many that pass in the 18yd box . refreshing to see sanchez think shoot first.
Should have some change to spend in this transfer window and those after. But what will the fans get for it?
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As for G-Rude he needs some competition/assistance in the goal getting front. Dybala would be good!
Prefer Benteke myself, all Girouds attributes but with greater mobility. Only 24 and could really flourish at Arsenal.
Oops sorry, forgot who reads these things…..I meant to say I would prefer Suarez/Benzema or whoever is flavour of the month come the summer.
Always happy to thumb you down CC when I disagree – as I often do, but think this is a reasonable shout. Whilst Wenger is still at the helm the guys on here and elsewhere need to forget the “cut and paste a big name striker” in to our starting X1 as an option. I’ll take PL experience, relative youth and big potential over a Benzema, Martinez, Falcao, Cavani all day. Alot of the big name strikers around Europe are struggling and appear to be living on past glories and reputation alone. No-one is really tearing it up. The only “gettable” big name that I would fancy at Arsenal is Lewandoski – clever and lethal, he would work well in our system imo.
OT: Still cannot get over the Monaco defeat. One goal was required, only one goal – Monaco were backtracking.
What I learnt, 2 things:
1. Welbeck should have definetely stayed on. He was in the mood to finish the business! or
2. Someone like Prince Poldi could have finished the business!
we dont know how to play 2-leg fixtures. in the 1st, when we were down 2:1, its insanity to let in the 3rd. criminal. and we paid for it. if u’r 2:1 down, shut up shop. i’ll be happy once gabriel is routinely causing Per to sit on the bench.
@the writer of the this article, we all know giroud has been in spectacular form since his return from injury, barring the monaco(1st leg) game, so save us the stats…what I want to know is ; If he’s not our problem, then what/who is?
our defence was our problem. coq has been a huge difference. remember: when we had flam/arteta at back, and with Per playing in high-line games: recipe for disaster. negligent of AW not to buy CDM last summer.
Giroud has showed more better form than falcao, this season! If i were to choose between both of them, giroud would get my nod!
Giroud can but he needs someone to give him a rest from time to time and to keep him focused (competition), I am not convinced with Welbeck in the CF just yet (Wenger seems to prefer to play him on the wing than upfront currently as well) and I would be happy to see a player like Dybala come in, someone young and ‘for the future’ while at the same time can contribute straight away.
Dybala is world class proven striker…guarantee goals……..
i’m not sure you know what “guarantee” means.
Giroud had 6 chances to score against in the first leg but he didn’t, he broke unwanted records
yeah he had a terrible game… anyone who disputes that obviously wasn’t watching.
good players have bad games, happens to everyone
conceding three and defence is equally as bad though from a team perspective, especially at home when as we’ve seen sooooooo many times, away goals can kill you.
the real problema were the goals conceded.
Much of the time i think Giroud is good enough to be main striker in a Challenging team, its just when he has a day like the one against monaco it beggars belief. When i see him attacking the ball and fending off rough contact or him finishing off chances that Bergkamp would be proud of i think yeh hes a beast nice one Oli… but then he has that other side.
I think or im hoping that he will iron out those mishaps, i believe he has it in him and just needs to have his game face on all the time. One things for sure id say Wrighty would have loved playing beside him and i think he would have suited the old Arsenal team under Graham down to a tee. Girouds close to being a tormentor, he might get there or he might all ready be there if he keeps going with his current form.
Giroud is a good striker. No doubt
He scores goals
But he misses lots of chances. He is also not very fast. Welbeck is faster but misses even more chances than Giroud
We need a top striker
1. Fast
2. When given an easy chance will score 9/10.times
3. Can score in big games against tough defenses
4. Can sometimes create a goal from nothing
We need a top striker like Lacazette or Dybala or Cavani with Giroud, Welbeck and Akpom as backups. Giroud will always be needed because we play PL, CL, FA Cup and League Cup and because of injuries.
Lacaku will be good. He is frenchy too.
Exactly….
players like Falcao, Balotelli, RVP, Torres, Carroll, fit that description tooo….
troll.
Giroud has been a great asset for this team. Great work rate. Supports his team mates. Score pretty consistently. I hope he has a couple more years in him before going back to France. He definitely needs another striker with him who can put it in the net.
Giroud has improved this season but we still need a quality pacy forward.
i didnt watch the home game vs monaco but clearly the attack wasnt the problema there.
that last goal for example…
Giroud has done what he is asked for, his figures are just fine.
granted he is no Messi or Cristiano in amounts of goals, but hey, he is good.
he is becoming a one goal per game player…and guess who other player was like that? thing is, that other player won us many games by 1-0 namely at Bernabéu once.
But he had a sonofagun defence behind
if Shitroud becomes a one goal per game player than what would be come of Dybalal, Cavani, Lulakuku, Balotelli and etc… 2 to 3 goals per game plaayers??
@Gigi2 Please please don’t be comparing to Thierry, especially on the basis of a run of 6ish games- even Giroud can’t think he’s got that kind of ability. If you had seen the first leg vs monaco, you would have seen one of the worst ever centre forward performances in an Arsenal shirt. He’s a good member of the squad but c’mon dude.
He definitely seems to have the bad habit of fluffing his lines more regularly when it comes to the big occasions
I read that Walcott wants north of £100,000 per week. I wonder How much “north”?
He currently makes £90,000
Alexis makes £140,000 but he is proven world class player
I wonder How high Wenger is willing to go.
interesting
Wenger should just pay him what he wants…..
100k or 140k is very underpaid….totally not the market rate
we have 3 billionaires and the new tv deal….
Send him packing.
There is no logic in questioning whether or not Giroud can lead us to a title as a striker because no single striker anywhere can do that. Giroud will only deliver when those around him deliver too. Take the second leg at Monaco. If the other players had converted their chances how many goals would we have got? Perhaps even 5. Let us not imagine a situation like that in a James Bond movie when one individual fights and defeats several enemies! Football is a team sport. Our other players have been missing too many chances which has made us not to score enough goals. Maybe the manager needs to take the players the basics of converting their chances because the misses are too many for anyone’s liking. Even Henry did not convert all the chances alone. There was Bergkamp, Pires, Ljumberg, Witord, Kanu who would regularly contribute in the scoring. Our problem today is the fear by our players to shoot at goal. It is very frustrating to see the ball being moved to the six yard box and then passed to a player at the centre half instead of shooting at goal. Many of our players are guilty of this profligacy infront of goal. How do you score many goals if you are that cowardly? It is so far only Giroud and Cazorla this season who have been trying their luck at every opportunity even though Cazorla has not been hitting the target that often. Let our players resolve to reduce on wastage infront of goal and also keep feeding Giroud and we shall see a better Arsenal which could lift the EPL trophy.
giroud’s goals per game is up with costa. he has world class linkup play and now scores – even in big games, this whole season. pre- and post injury. give him a break. this guy has only gotten better and better. not to mention he harries defenders, wins arials and pretty much occupies at least two defenders. OG for the win!
just shows that arsenal fans are fickle. always needing a scapegoat