I am not sure that the Arsenal and France international striker Olivier Giroud will be thanking his fellow countryman too much for his comments after the win at Sunderland, even though the combative midfield star was full of praise for Giroud for his attitude as well as his ability.
The forward really came back with a bang after his frustrating spell on the sidelines and Coquelin was quick to point out that Giroud has always proven his many doubters wrong since coming to the club and the English Premier League a few years ago, but in a way these comments could be taken as a proof that perhaps the big man is the perfect player to have on the bench as he will want to come on and prove himself once again.
Coquelin told Arsenal Player, “Oli is a strong character – every time people from outside doubt him, he always responds in a good way.
“I am really pleased for him. He has been working really hard to get back to full fitness and it was a massive goal today to get it back to 2-1, at a very important time.
“It is a really strong addition to the squad [to have him back] and hopefully there are many more goals to come from him.”
Arsene Wenger also praised Giroud and admitted to Sky Sports that it was pretty much a no brainer to bring the powerful ce4ntre forward on when Arsenal were pegged back by the Black Cats and needed a goal, saying that any manager worth their salt would have brought him on. What he did not say, however, was that Giroud would be a certain starter again now that he is fit.
The way that Giroud responded to the lack of game time and losing his place to Alexis Sanchez was fantastic, but does it suggest that the bench is the best place for him and that an Arsenal super sub is his best role?
Bob.
Yes should remain a super sub
Yep. Depending on the opponent and difficulty to score towards the end of some matches, he should remain on the bench and contribute positively towards the success of the squad.
It should all depend on the tactics AW decides to deploy on match day, with regards to our opponents…
Yes, Giroud is better as a sub. He always scores that way. Alexis and Giroud are so different, that most defenders get confused when you substitute one for the other.
Nobody should have a guaranteed starting place. Competition is the most important. If he continues to perform this way he should also start some games. It also depends on the opponent. The Sunderland game showed that Giroud offers something different which is very good. Even if some of you don’t want to admit it.. Giroud will be a very important player for us this season.
I honestly don’t get people’s obsession with ‘super-sub’..
If Giroud can consistently bang in goals and set up others up then why shouldn’t he start?
He has never banged in goals consistently and old is he now
People who disregard that when Giroud runs hot, he’s very, very good are equally as daft as the people who disregard his very, very cold patches.
And we still don’t know where Perez will stand in all of this. When Alexis hits a bad patch I don’t mind Arsene freshening things up a bit but I hope that when he does he intends to get Alexis back playing vocal point as soon as possible. My fear is still that Arsene might give Giroud more reassurance and patience than any other striker.
Every time there is a set piece or corner we are inferior team with him on the bench. It really is that simple. Now if we only get 1 or 2 corners a game or 1 or 2 set pieces maybe he wouldn’t be as effective.
I think in the 0-0 draw we had 9 corners and at least 5 set pieces. So if he is out for one second we are not at our best.