Do You Regret Selling Giroud? by Dan Smith
Those old enough will remember what Cup Final week used to look like… The team doing a song. The squad trying on suits. All week the media would track their travel plans. Was their hotel lucky or not lucky? Heck the TV coverage would start like 6 hours before kicking off. It was tradition. Now we’ll leave it to JustArsenal to whet your appetite peeps …….
One of the biggest threats standing in our way in winning some silverware will be our former Gunner Olivier Giroud. A cruel irony? Unless you’re the man himself ….
In January 2018 Dortmund would only sell us Aubameyang if they could sign Batshuayi. Chelsea would only approve that deal if they too could find a replacement by the deadline. To help our own agenda, we gave the Blues our striker.
Gooners were so excited by the arrival of Auba, as well as Ozil signing a new contract (yes you were), that a man who had given 6 years’ service left North London with little fanfare or thanks. Which in a sense was fitting, as from his first day at the Emirates he was never really appreciated by a section of our fanbase.
He became manys scapegoats long before Mustafi or Xhaka. This was the start of where it became acceptable to abuse a person on social media because you think they are not good at their job. Crazy ……but sadly true.
The Frenchmen didn’t do anything wrong. He was a constant professional and tried to give the best version of himself, which is all anyone can ever do. He kept his head down and kept the right attitude even when he would have been aware he divided opinion.
Some saw him as the best Plan B in the Premiership.
Others took it out on him simply because his employers didn’t have the ambition to bring in Higuain, Suarez or Cavani like they hinted (usually around the launch of shirt sales).
Giroud is still one of a few to score over a 100 goals in the Red and White, while also winning 3 FA Cups with us, ending our trophy drought. In those Finals he scored in one and assisted a winner in the other two.
He’s since added one more FA Cup to his CV as well as the Europa League. Yes, you could argue he’s the main reason we were not in the Champions League this season and, thankfully, that Emery got sacked.
On the same pitch as Lacazette and Aubameyang (the strike force that made him expendable) he produced a MOTM display while the other two went missing. Not bad for a player who both sets of fans assumed was passed his best when he moved across the Capital.
You see those at the Bridge have also undervalued him. Both Sari and Lampard went through periods when they wouldn’t even bring him off the bench, assuming they had better.
His new coach froze him out in the first half of the campaign; hence it wasn’t till February he got his first League goal of the campaign. It’s only been post-lockdown that he’s started ahead of Abraham. Only then was he offered a new contract. I guess you could say, he’s made a living out of proving people wrong.
Even in his home country Deschamps gets criticized for putting Giroud ahead of a pool of talent. That was justified when France won the World Cup. Giroud is in a unique situation where he’s a World Champion striker without scoring a single goal in the tournament despite starting every game in Russia. Yet his hold up play was vital to Les Bleus. Yet I was still reluctant to write back in Feb that we should bring him back as I assumed what some of the comments would say.
I reckon some would still think we are too good for him, even though he would have been a free agent at a time when Stan Kroenke won’t be spending money. Tell me now you wouldn’t want him coming off the bench instead of Eddie? That you haven’t seen games where we needed another option, which Giroud gives?
Yet would you be shocked if he makes a difference at Wembley on Saturday? We could lose two finals thanks to a player we gave to our opponents for peanuts. Not great business.
Many were unhappy how he celebrated in Baku yet try and see it from his point of view. He’s only human…
If a company told you, you’re not good enough. You get laughed at, mocked, called names, etc and never bite back. They send you away for your troubles, where you prove to that company that actually you might be decent at what you do, are you wrong for not patting yourself on the back.
Readers will know we have fans I don’t feel sorry for. It is like Ozil joining a Turkish side and scoring against us, then the same men/women who verbally abused him will cry when he celebrates. I don’t get it.
Olivier Giroud has won the following ……
French League
4 FA Cups
The Europa League
oh …. and THE WORLD CUP
Only two players have scored more than him for his nation.
Not bad for a lamp-post, eh?
I know which dressing room I would want him in next weekend.
Be Kind In The Comments…
Dan Smith
No, Giroud didn’t score enough goals on a regular basis and we have a better goalscorer in Auba. Auba and Giroud would not have worked well as a pair. So good luck to Giroud and people need to remember, he hasn’t been a regular until recently and even then, it is only due to circumstances.
I don’t think any team will regret selling Giroud when they have Aubameyang. I like Giroud. His Arsenal goals were very good.
But some players are like that. It doesn’t work on one team and it works on another.
With Aubameyang and Lacazette combined in their first half season together we went to Europa league,in their 1st full season together we also didnt make the Champions league but Europa league,in their 2nd full season together we didnt even make the Europa league through the normal way.
NO TROPHY!
NO CHAMPIONS LEAGUE!
If care is not taken there will be ..
NO EUROPA LEAGUE
If care is not taken again gradually we will soon be fighting for relegation.
What is the essence of now having a Top striker with over 20 goals a season without anything to show for it?
#BIGSHAME
Giroud lack the basics of football, like trapping and penetrating through defence. I’m glad that he’s gone
Yes! You’re right. Whatever he’s achieved, that’s his luck. He lacks the basics and we aren’t good enough to tame his forage with hold up play or headers. After that, nothing.
Thank God he’s gone. For me, no regret.
He didn’t even have a shot on target in the WC though, did he??
We all know he’ll score on Saturday. He won’t need any motivation for it… it’ll be just like Baku, he’ll love to rub our faces in it…again… just to remind us of what he let go…..but would I want him back? No…..
Would he have banged them in for us like Auba has? I don’t think so…..
But come Saturday evening he may have 2 medals at our expense….bizarre how things turn out….
One thing’s for sure though… the chavs did much better buying from us than we have from them!!
Sue, in fact your words are discouraging. I don’t think you’ll watch the match. Arsenal are full of surprises. It seems we’ve lost the match already. I am having the same feeling I had during the city match 😎. Let’s be a bit positive and be behind the team. It’s the only team we have. ✌
Sorry, Phenom! Our team are a funny bunch.. never sure if they’ll turn up from one week to the next!
This is it now, I hope they don’t disappoint… believe it or not, I am behind them, but they’ve turned me into a right pessimist over the years!!
Imagine the euphoria if we do win!! 😍
I hope your feeling is bang on, btw 👍
PS.. I will be watching (from behind the sofa!) COYG
Sue,
The way you feel about Ozil/Kolasinac is exactly the same way I feel about Giroud as he could do no wrong in my eyes…
Giroud was a true professional for us and a scorer of amazing goals, a hard worker too, he was a victim of a team that overpasses the ball, we failed to really make use of his massive aerial prowess. Is there a better header of the ball in world football? Maybe Ronaldo, that tells you something huh…
He is a sure goal getter and I will gladly take him back in a heartbeat.
Confession:
Eventhough, it hurts me to lose the Europa league to Chelsea last season, I was really happy for Giroud, that’s how much I love him!
Goonerboy, I’ve gone off Kolasinac, after the NLD hahaha!! As for Mesut, well that chapter’s over……
I have to agree, he did score some beauties – my fave had to be the scorpion!!
That’s really refreshing to read that, Goonerboy, as he was scrubbed off my christmas card list once he scored in Baku!! 😆 I had no problem with him leaving and wished him well…
So do you watch the chavs just to see how he fares? Will you feel the same on Saturday if they win?
Oh Sue!
Nice decision regarding Kolasinac and Mesut, Kolasinac frustrates the hell out of me grrrr!
Who wouldn’t love the scorpion goal and his trademark goal against us in Baku…lol
Tbh, because of my health, I have skipped a lot of our matches this season, I don’t have the “cojones” to bear the tension and nerves, it kills me Sue…
And no, not gonna feel the same way if they win. My desire to see Auba, Xhaka, Cebs, Tierney, Lacazette,Pepe Arteta win this trophy goes beyond my love for Giroud.
Also, going by the speculations, being in Europe has a lot to do with our summer activities, so I really hope Giroud loses on saturday.coyg!
I could’ve belted Kola after gifting that goal to Son!!!
I can’t say I blame you, Goonerboy, it really is hard being a gooner sometimes – it should come with a health warning!! I do question it all sometimes, especially after the state I get myself in (after the NLD), but wouldn’t have it any other way – once a gooner, hey?!
We need this win, big time… I’ll be overjoyed at seeing Auba lift a trophy!
Plus Giroud has had his fair share lately, so don’t be greedy, Ollie 😄
Sue, I really enjoy using kola at CB when playing FIFA 20. He’s better than all our CBs in FIFA. 😁
As for Giroud, we didn’t play to his strength. I agree with Goonerboy about we overpassing but I will never trade Auba for Giroud.
If only he was that good in reality 😂
Me neither!!
But 110 times better than Lacazette.
You can check their Goal involvement.
I would trade him over Lacazette uncountable times
Yes we should have kept Giroud. The idea that a player who’s achieved so much and yet apparently “lacks the basics of football” makes me hope we can bring in several more players who lack the basics.
JJ, agree with you.
Giroud, playing for a club that can buy practically any player and who are, once again, backing their manager with big signings, is accused of not having the basics and not good enough for our club, one really does despair.
Here we are, discussing whether a player deemed not having the basics, will once again break our hearts in another cup final.!?!?
This guy is so underrated its unbelievable!
Firstly you may or may not agree which is fine but if we had Giroud now with a player that can supply him decent balls in KT he would thrive, his hold up play was so much better than what we have which would allow other players to join the attack.
Those comparing him with Auba are just silly imo, they are both totally different have different strengths.
Auba will be gone next season, mark my words.
He wont want to stick around here when we have atleast 2-3 maybe even 4 seasons till we can compete, by the he will be past it and lost out more trophies he could have won elsewhere
That’s the thing, people simply have no idea he’s a different type of striker when compared to Auba. Hell people don’t even know strikers have different different types and roles. They feel every striker should be a Henry or RVP.
Since people are saying Giroud lacks the basics of football, I’d love to know what Auba offers to this team when he’s not on scoresheet. He’s 80% always invisible if players don’t play him through or he’s not scoring, no hold up play, nothing else, Lacazette is more complete, but Auba is the better goalscorer. He’s a poacher, just like Inzaghi, these guys offer nothing other than popping out with goals. That’s their job, yet armchair coaches thinks Giroud who can do a lot than Auba with the ball lacks the basics of football. It’s bewildering
Auba offers goals I don’t think we need anything else. Lacazette does not score goals and he is a striker yet you call him complete. What am I missing here?
Not surprised it’s not sensible to you…. Firmino doesn’t score goals, Firmino had no Anfield goal for over half a season yet he’s important to Liverpool’s system isn’t he?
Or Klopp is also a clow who just makes use of Firmino?
Klopp is a clown for letting Werner go just so he’ll keep making use of Firmino who doesn’t score goals?
I’m excited about seeing the excuse you’d come up with, even though everybody knows Lava is the all round player while PEA is just a better goalscorer
FFS autocorrect!!
What will you call the 12 he has this season with 7 assists. The reason he doesn’t score more is because he does so much pressing and the defending for the team. That is why he draws and concedes more than 50 fouls from the opponent.
May God bless you bro with this piece!
You are not part of those biased fans!
Without his goals(AUBAMEYANG) he offers nothing to the team.
With only Giroud in the team as the only recognized striker we ended a run of no trophy that even Mr Van persie,Fabregas,Adebayo,Arshavin,Nasri and soon could not end and save us from the snares of other clubs Fans and Pundits counting our TROPHYLESS seasons.
He (GIROUD) also makes sure we qualify for every champions league.
WHAT HAVE WE ACHIEVED SINCE LEFT?
NO CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
NO TROPHY
NO EUROPA LEAGUE
The start of another trophy less season!
It is a pity that the combination of AUBA AND LACA could not even win us an Europa league spot from the league.
WHAT HAS GIROUD ACHIEVED SINCE HE LEFT?
EUROPA LEAGUE MEDAL
EUROPA LEAGUE TOPSCORER
F.A CUP MEDAL
WORLD CUP
NB:IT WAS GIROUD’S FORM THAT ALSO ENSURED THAT CHELSEA QUALIFY FOR NEXT SEASON CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
#BIGSHAMEGUNNER
Val,
I love the KT balls part, and you forgot to mention Saka too…
I can’t believe some are comparing him to Auba, that shows total lack of basic football knowledge, but I resist the urge to explain.
A front three of Auba….Giroud….Pepe will definitely give us more goals, good combinations in and around the box and make us less predictable.
Giroud might not be able to press from the front, but he guarantees goals.
I rate Saka very highly my dude, but his end product ( crossing ) isnt in the same league as KT (yet)but im sure he will get there with it in time.
To many people on this site have blinkers on, dont understand the game at all and let other peoples opinion sway their judgement or have very short memories.
Giroud is immense, there is a reason France pick him over laca and Benzema ( when he was in the squad) .
Laca doesnt even get in the france squad most times lol
We want auba
Dortmount need auba replacement
Dortmount decide to loan batsshuayi from chelsea
Chelsea need bat replacement
Chelsea decide to buy giroud
Chelsea got giroud
Dortmount got bat
We got auba
Oli or Alex , only one winner , we should of saved the 55 and kept him , twice the player , loved the club , gave everything week in and out , tried that’s all you can ask for from a player , Lacca’s given up , he left the club about a year ago , Oli never dropped his head , even when we gave him away , Good luck to the man
Always been a fan of Giroud and one of those who never wanted him sold. I thought we could’ve made use of him and Auba and sold Lacazette instead. Though I understand why he got sold.
Giroud was underrated, wasn’t world class, but he wasn’t average either.
I don’t know what basics people keeps saying he lacks, Giraud’s problem was his pace and inability to make use of the ball in one-vs-one situations.
People would say anything to make an agenda against him, called him donkey and all sorts of names.
Auba would’ve benefited a lot more from Giroud than Lava because Giroud is a lot better at the hold up play and releasing balls into those small pockets. Some of our finest goals in the later years of Wenger bad Giroud in the mix.
Yes he was inconsistent, but Lava isn’t any consistent is he?
I made a case for Giroud, even in the national team, he gets picked over Laca. It says a lot about the man.
The only thing I look back to and constantly dislike him for was the 15/16 season he denied Ozil the chance to break Henry’s record.
Ozil’s stats that season were insane.
That’s his most productive season by the way, by Dec Ozil already had 16 assist, then Giroud went on a 9-10 games run without scoring. Danny Welbeck and Walcott went ahead to score just 4 goals. And Ozil ended up with 19 assists. One can’t help but think Ozil was simply robbed by his teammates back then.
That’s the past though, other than that Giroud was always a professional and showed he was good at it.
Now he’s gone, fans won’t admit he’d be important to us if he was still here. Also Giroud was always hardworking.
The other way around, I was happy he left to no where but Chelsea, I recall pointing out how he would thrive at Chelsea because they have very good crossers of the ball. Even Eden Hazard went ahead to say he’s the best Target man out there.
But some armchair Arsenal fans who know nothing about what players are meant to do will tell you Giroud was and is a poor player.
I’m happy he’s thriving there. That being said, we move on
Nicely served, Chief Eddie
@Eddie Hoyte
EH, you brought me in, I am beginning to enjoy not making comments here again, but
That 15/16 impression you have against Olivier G actually should be other way round. This is the fact, it was a fallout of that infamous players meetings, that was where Ozil, Sanchez, and the more agitated Theo ended the season. They ”scapegoated” OG for missed goals, so Sanchez started desiring Top Striking role, Arsene chided them but he needed Ozil & Alexis in the team so badly, so AW was helpless. If you review the videos of matches of that season, only then would you understand. Ball were not being passed to OG as they used to do, he scored some goal that fell for him, and only clear pass free LB, Gibbs.
That player rebellion was major reason AW sold Theo I very much believe.
Good one my man
This is the folly of Wenger, every coach should have a plan A and plan B. Girould should have been the plan B. A good person, never spoke anything out of context, gave his best. Wenger and Emery should have had both types of strikers – Giroud and Auba. However Wenger preferred only Giroud and Emery preferred only Auba. Ideally Laca was the extra luxury striker we hired.
If we go back in time and hired Luis Suarez (and not Mesut Ozil), had Giroud along with Santi Carzola, Ramsey we would have been champs long time back. Sadly that now remains fantasy.
How did Emery prefer Auba, when he didn’t even have the option of Giroud when he came, I thought Giroud left before Emery…
IMO, I believe Wenger’s influence regarding transfers has reduced by that time, might be wrong though…
👍
Excellent article, Dan. The deal at the time to allow Giroud to leave to get Aunameyang was the right one. However, as you stated Giroud was always professional, rarely got injured, was an intelligent Plan B and acted disappointed when he failed to score.
Given Arsenal’s lack of height at the back concerns me and I hope we can defend intelligently against him.
An overlooked point about Giroud is that he is one of the very few remaining target men in top Prem sides. No current other top side has a target man AT ALL unless you count KANE ,who is both a target man AND an all round footballer and far out in front of Giroud in every way,IMO.
Modern coaches have evolved to play without old fashioned type target men, to aid mobility and speed. Giroud has always lacked mobility and speed, but brings dependable strength, power in the air and a moderate(meaning OK only) goals tally.
In all, I think we made the correct call to let him go and I do not want him back. In any case he is already 33, so even without my above comments, to buy a striker aged 33 would be madness!
I’m not saying bring him back that ship has sailed, what I’m saying is if we still had him we probably would have scored more goals and be abit more robust when defending set pieces.
with KT our left footed Beckham, Giroud would have scored more goals.
What service did he have when he was here? what Walcotts amazing crosses? or Iwobi’s?
IMO hes a much better player in all terms than Laca and i was F*****d off when we sold him to Chelsea, even more so in the Europa final
Laca then Auba benched him, for good to win golden boots he should be wearing again today without a ridiculous assistant coach playing him on left wing or with an unbalanced team with no balls crossing midfield and everyone defendkng to make up for Luiz ruining all our central defense area…Extending his damn hair go be our CB leader next yezr again. First name in defense on the sheet is Luiz as CB? Arteta made sure we get use to that; a new bloody contract!
I guess topic is Giroud, indeed he is going to bully and walk all over Luiz.
If played in a back 4, we will conceid 2 goals in first quarter.
What we call back 5 is not; it is 2 players playing CBs and Luiz a bit above them as a DM and both defensive wings.
It is the only way to play with Luiz in defensive area.
Since we dont have a solid DM, a CB is more fited to play there, good in the air, can tackle, block, play ball and run forward which Luiz does well.
Arteta doesnt know what he iq doing, he plays 3CBs but have Holding on the bench and tierny as CB, Kolas on wing.
Makes no sense, Tierny cant run forward but Kolas who is not Tierny level at all…
Overall, it makes team weaker and cant play as supposed to but Arteta’s guessing game, russian roulette.
Many games he will always have a defensive winger play as CB in his fake back.
Bellerin Holding Mustafi Tierny…. …………………………Luiz
He makes it so complicated for anyone to get it. Players go along as used to.
Musrafi, Mari, chambers out, had him play back4 with Luiz; a disaster, we could have easily lost against Watford.
.
He must pick a player to play as CB, logically a U23 should be already training and ready to step up since cMari injury.
i’m sorry dude, but i have no idea what your gripe is with MA calling him an assistant coach in every post you make about him.
Would you call Mourinho a translater?
you say we’re unbalanced, yes we are to an extent which is why MA wants a left sided player at CB, which is why he’s played Kola and KT there in recent games as it adds more range to passing out from the back and opens teh pitch up more
Holding isn’t all that good and since he’s come back from injury he just hasn’t performed which is why Mustafi and Luiz have played alongside one of the other 2.
yet you want to unbalance the defense even more by adding a 3rd right footed player there? get real dude.
Its not fifa 21 bro its real football!
Giroud with aubameyang and pepe in front would have been fire. He was very good technically for a target man and could have easily linked up with auba. auba is one of the best at finding the right space in the box to get a goal and giroud creates a lot of space by dragging defenders out of position. Pepe is also really good at crossing and also profits from spaces created by giroud.
But we made the right decision to choose aubameyang over giroud.
The past is gone now,lets focus on getting our revenge on chelsea.COYG
My gross and cross about the Giroud issues still,is not all about letting him go,but to our main rival and oppossission. I never wanted him left Arsenal but it should have been out of England. It always pained me seeing him plays for chelsky and helping them improves,as far as i am concern Giroud single handedly won Europa for them last time.
Arsenal fans gave wenger pressure to sell Giroud bcos he went 19 match barren streak. We craved for a pacy attacker and we got Auba which I think was a brilliant idea. Imagine a front three of Sanchez, Auba and Walcott. I don’t miss Giroud at all.
He was suitable to possession playing style, which is the style of most big teams.
Even in the counter, he holds well.
It was a mistake.
Big mistake ,and the way he was treated shameful!Auba and Giroud would have been a much better combo than Auba and Laca , Giroud holding up play is way better than Laca and I can only imagine Auba and Giroud combinations, linking up , playing 1-2’s… Giroud physically bullying defences…everything we’ve missed,having him at the end of crosses from Saka, Tierney,Pepe..scoring headers deft touches….and the occasional wonder goals! and rarely injured and at his age he wouldn’t have complained not playing the full 90 minutes and the odd games!☹️☹️☹️
Well said.. Without Giroud Chelsea wouldn’t have reached European cup final…He was stunning throughout that season…
No. I only regret we didn’t get more money. I regret we spent if so poorly. Giroud doing well would bother nobody if Arsenal made better transfer decisions and put together a better squad.
OG style of play is easy and not that stressfull unlike Laca, running the whole pitch like an headless chicken without impact.
Id say give Mertesacker a one game contract so that he can compete with Giroud in our most crucial game ever.
Yes Dan Smith!
Plastic fans, comments
Yes 100% it’s not just goals he provides assists and is very unselfish and clever with his passes, there’s a reason he is always ahead of lacazette for the French national team, I have friends who support Chelsea and they love him and appreciate him even when he doesn’t score because they are not blind to hiss assets
Cause if he didnt score, he will create
I wish to be educated whether fans of other clubs treat their players the way we do ours. We lost several good and committed players such as Adebayor, Bendtner, Eboue, Gervinho, Arshavin, Giroud, Podolski and other players through the reckless and inconsiderate acts of our fans. It is very disheartening for any playee to realise that he is a figure of hate at his own Club! I remember these kinds of acts started after the invincibles season because our fans developed unrealistically high expectations which were not sustainable in an era where success was being bought by first Roman Abramovic and then Sheik Mansoor and the others. Prior to that our players were treated with love, sympathy and respect. The animosity then moved from players to the manager, the board and the owner. If these decadent practices don’t stop we shall continue to lose our good people. Let us learn to be civil, tolerant and appreciative of the different qualities that different individuals possess.
Hey guys,am a chelsea fan n truly giroud took us to final in baku,he was the top scorer in Europa league,as lampard said:giroud is huge in training,the lads loves playing with him,he’s a constant professional,week in week out he gives 101% to the team,we’re glad to have,we hope he wins us FA on Saturday
Regret? I was gutted when he left in the first place. I aboslutely loved the guy, everything about him.
Aubameyang and Giroud are two very different players.
Giroud is a target man. He plays up front on his own with his back to goal, receives the ball, uses his strength to hold the ball and waits for others to join the attack.
Auba is a goal poacher. In my opinion he is being played out of position on the left wing and is wasted there. He would be banging in more goals if he was played as a central striker with our wide players feeding him crosses.
I would rather of kept Giroud over Laca.
Auba as plan A and Giroud as plan B.
By the way, does anyone have any stats on how many our shots and goals have come from outside the six-yard box this season? I’d like to see us testing keepers more from outside of the box instead of trying to create chances by passing the ball left, right and backwards. Pepe has a good left foot, I’d like to see him taking chances with whipping balls in.