I am getting a bit worried about Olivier Giroud right now. He has spent the whole summer reading about how Arsenal were trying desperately to sign his countryman Karim Benzema, and how much Theo Walcott wants to replace him as the main striker for the Gunners.
It doesn’t matter that it was just all media talk and every single link has turned out to be untrue, because it seems to have affected his form on the pitch. We all know that he is a sensitive soul and reacted badly when Thierry Henry publicly stated that Arsenal would never win the Premiership with Giroud as the top striker, and it could be that all the criticism aimed at him this summer (including by JustArsenal commenters and posters) has finally affected his confidence.
As Arsenal fans we should worry about his mental state, as an unhappy and unconfident striker simply does not score goals. This theory seemed to be proven tonight as Giroud was given a starting role for France in a friendly against Serbia, but after missing two clear cut chances to put the ball in the back of the net, he was getting jeered and booed by his own French supporters.
Giroud was taken off at half tme and replaced by Karim Benzema which couldn’t have helped his feelings either. This is going to be yet another real blow to his confidence and perhaps Wenger should consider starting Theo Walcott against Stoke on Saturday, but will that affect Giroud’s confidence even more”
What would you do if you were Arsene Wenger?