Olivier Giroud has not always been the most popular of players with the Arsenal fans, but the France international has always given his all since joining the Gunners from the French club Montpellier in the summer of 2012. And although the big centre forward was not the free scoring replacement for the little boy that is Robin van Persie that we hoped for, just imagine how much we would have struggled without him.
So for me at least, the pictures of the 28-year old back in training at the Arsenal complex at London Colney are very welcome indeed. Do not forget, Gooners, that Giroud has scored and been intrinsically involved with some of the best and most important Arsenal goals in the last two years. Here is a little reminder for you from last season.
He was voted as Man of the Match after his sublime 25-yard goal sealed the Community Shield against Man City in the season opener and his delicate and pinpoint flick enabled Jack Wilshere to score the best goal of last season against Norwich City. And he was also Arsenal’s top scorer last season with a very respectable 22 goals.
But with Danny Welbeck and Alexis Sanchez forming a good understanding in his absence, where will the Frenchman fit back into the team? Will Wenger stick with his lone front man approach and choose between Welbeck and Giroud or will he move Welbeck out to the left where he has often played for Man United and England.
Or will the boss get adventurous and play both strikers in a 4-4-2 formation? I for one would love to see this and think we could do some serious damage to opposing defences with those two up front and Alexis joining in from behind. It might not be the right tactic against big clubs like Chelsea, when you need to be stronger in midfield, but against teams where we expect to dominate the ball and the game, Giroud and Welbeck could spell double trouble. What do you think Gooners?
The same impact as Messi has for Barcelona or Ronaldo for Real M i gues. Get real ppl.
This article should be called “What impact would a GOOD MANAGER have on Arsenal?”
When Giroud is back, we will again see those nicknames like “no Giroud, i’m happy” again. Arsenal fans!
he will raise our sexy level by 20 percent…says my frigid missus.
I am a red blooded straight man but I too can say that Giroud is some good looking fella…
One for the ladies…
Some folks forget too easily, wasn’t Giroud fit when we were still calling for a worldclass striker to be signed? Were we not all (or most of us) saying Giroud is, at best, a back up striker? Wasn’t it glaring to all how with him upfron we could not strike opposition teams on the counter? Jeeze!!!
Yeah, we should have got a world class player but we did not, so no need crying about that, we have Giroud who is the best striker we currently have at the club. Compared to Welbeck I would definitely prefer Girooooud… Our standards have been lowered to this level so Giroud is the best we have..
I’m not saying Giroud is a total wreck, I’m only saying he is also not the very sort of striker a club like Arsenal needs. And the fact that he’s just returning from injury doesn’t mean he is returning a new man altogether. It’s the same Giroud, for f**k’s sake.
Fans with short memories, he missed so many easy goals and open nets it was ridiculous, can’t score against top teams, mid table player, nothing more.
Giroud is a cart horse but because Wenger has dragged the club down further, fans want look back to the mediocrity of Giroud last season with rose coloured glasses and forget the chances he squandered.
Watch Sanchez stop passing to him after a few games if Sanchez doesn’t lodge a transfer request..
For all the fas who love “those” stats (like Wenger…), Giroud is the player in Europe (yes all Europe football and considering all the league in Europe) who has played the most minutes (3200 mins), Messi being the second one (2575 mins).
Basically, the French striker needed a well deserved rest (so did Koscielny).
Again another extend of Wenger knowledge about football and squad management.
Total “idiotic” clueless and delusional overpaid lazy tw*t…!!!
We are already out of the title in November…!! It is a f*cking disgrace and pathetic farce.
Wenger and the board are complaisant, lazy and inconsiderate towards fans.
Giroud isn’t good enough for a top 4 team end of subject.
Why are you getting thumbed down for that???
Giroud has, I believe, scored 1? goal against a top 4 side since he arrived!
That shows he can’t score against top 4 teams = not good enough for top 4 teams.
Szczesny clean sheet, Podolski 2 assists and Jenko scored for the England U21’s yesterday.
Oh and Lord Bendtner scored a brace. 😀
I miss Giroud, he is not the best striker in the world and he should be a 2nd or 3rd choice at any Top 4 club.. But he is the best we have and gives us more than Welbeck.
Every time I see Welbeck, he is either busy chasing down the ball because of his poor first touch, he has a bad touch so the ball keeps ping ponging or bouncing off him, that’w why he then has to chase it down..
Welbeck spends more time running about like Forrest Gump outside the penalty area instead of making runs inside. He can’t red passes. Sky Sports also highlighted this, Sanchez keeps anticipating where the ball might be and gambles, Welbeck just seems clueless sometimes..
So he has got to improve big time..
Giroud as much as he is not too far off being Welbeck, he gives us more, Assists, goals and hold up. Wilshere, Ramsey and Cazorla benefited from a lot…
Can’t you see what happened with Welbeck?
When he arrived he was making runs, using his speed, scoring hat tricks!
Now Wenger has told him to change his game, gone are the runs and the fight, now he is being forced to play like Giroud, back to goal in a completely new and alien role that is not suited to his body size or physique.
Wenger will ruin the fella now that his love child Giroud is back.
Welbeck will be banished to the bench with Podi, Campbell, Rosicky and the other youth players that should be integrated into games for their development but never are.
How long do you think Giroud will play for us under a new manager?
It will be ‘taxi for Giroud’ in short order!
Do you read the sh*te you write before you send it?
Giroud scored 22 goals last season in all competitions.
Sanchez has scored 12 already this season.
I rest my case.
That’s why Giroud cost £11 million and on about £60,000 a week, while Sanchez cost £35 million and on about £150,000 a week…
Underinvestment in players and thats what I keep on coming back to.
Sanchez 25
Giroud 15
Wellbeck 15
Walcott 10
Ox 10
Poldi 10
Ramsey 10
Cazorla 5
Giroud will lead Arsenal to ECL glory.
@davidnz
How many chances did he miss last season. Come on wake up.
Sarcasm, pal! Sarcasm.
Put a 🙂 on it then I will know it is sarcasm 🙂 🙂 🙂
Lol 🙂
And I keep hearing about how we have now got a HIGHER WAGE BILL than Chelski… Can anyone explain how that is possible because I don’t believe it..
We have a higher wage bill
because the information is
stored on Mertesackers head 🙂 🙂 🙂
The way that guy goes down at the slightest in our own box is embarrassing. I mean for a guy his stature, jeeze!!!
Honestly, I was not very pleased that we signed Welbeck, but I won’t be so stupid to compare him to Giroud at the moment becuz it’s not been long Welbeck joined us, and to be frank, Welbeck looks more promising than Giroud.
Welbeck dribbles, shoots from outside the box, outruns opposition defenders, can comfortably play on the flanks too. But he never played regularly as a central striker for United, so he’s till yet to get the very basics of the position, but he also needs luck too.
Slow build up tappy tappy
allows teams too much time
to park their ten man bus.
The goal v Swansea came from a
fast break, through ball and then a cut back.
Mix it up with crosses and use
route 1 sometimes with Giroud or Wellback
heading the ball on for Sanchez and Walcott to run on to.
We have a poorly decimated squad and finally, someone is back from injury. It may not be a big difference but Chim Chim Giroud will make a difference.
🙂
Goodnight all and have a great weekend.
I’ll try. My USMNT squad disgraced us again today.
I’m very sure Muff is muffing around somewhere tonight.
Giroud is better than welbeck anytime anyday, he is more matured, better in assist, better in defending(this is what is costing us problem presently), better in goal scoring, better in nodding, better in hold up, he is stronger, he put all in any game, he allows others to score more. The only thing welbeck has more is pace, and one one ball struggling. Sanogo is d most perwerful among all n he create fear for defender more, good in up ball contest but he is zero in scoring ability, n injury prone, still raw. If sanogo can be scoring I prefer him more than d other two. Therefore, for now GIROUD.
Behave, what Giroud have you been watching?
I see the slow one, can’t dribble, can’t run, misses open goals, puts more effort into his missed chance face pulling than his strikes.
Outside of tikka takka Giroud is useless, our midfielders would run past him on the break.
Just play a 3-1-1-3-1-1. We need to get all our strikers on the pitch.
_____Giroud
____Welbeck
_Sanogo Sanchez Walcott
_____Cazorla
_____Arteta
Gibbs Mertesacker Chambers
____Szczesny
Or the christmas tree formation 😉
Let’s face it, everyone is craving for Giroud cuz we have no better options; maybe if you join Welbeck and Giroud we could come up with a 1st class striker….Yes he scored some crucial Goals but he missed many more looking real clumsy in the area.
I respect Giroud because after all he is an ARSENAL player, but let’s be real he is not top class and is not what ARSENAL deserves and could buy if it was not because the cheap b… of Wenger.
Right now Giroud is better but Welbeck is young and has a couple of years to improve. He needs to carry on playing striker. He wasted years at United playing Winger. He has the passion, speed and work rate that Giroud doesn’t have. But Giroud is more mature and more reliable
Let’s put it this way between Giroud and Welbeck I choose Diego Costa
@fred, I like ur choice of word, “Giroud is more mature n reliable”. While welbeck is younger n promising, with time he ll get ther. Both miss goal!