Olivier Giroud is Arsenal’s marmite, putting it simply. We either love him or hate him and we come to the same old conclusions after every game. One game he’s a good enough forward to win Arsenal the league, the next a replacement figure is in need. Ultimately, the reality is that we are afraid of burdening him only because we want him to do well.
One thing preventing him from the ‘world-class talisman’ status is his inconsistency with goals, especially against the ‘big’ sides. From an Arsenal fan’s point of view, it’s the most irritating thing in the world.
Giroud in important games 2014/15
Arsenal 3-0 City: Came on not 100% fit and scored a beauty with his left. Played for roughly half an hour.
Arsenal 1-2 United: Return from injury, scored another beauty, a strike that came too late.
Liverpool 2-2 Arsenal – Helped Arsenal to take the lead, but was fairly isolated throughout. Played well.
City 0-2 Arsenal – Got a goal to double the advantage, helped us to an important victory. Played well yet again.
Spurs 2-1 Arsenal – Quiet, got the assist to take the lead, but the limelight was on Harry Kane.
Arsenal 1-3 Monaco – Dreadful, just dreadful. Missed a handful of clear-cut chances and was slated for it. Not his best day.
Monaco 0-2 Arsenal – Got the Gunners off to a dream start by opening the scoring. Played well but his individual performance was overshadowed by Arsenal being knocked out of the UEFA Champions League.
Arsenal 4-1 Liverpool – Scored a pearl late on in the game to make it 4. Outshone by others but a solid performance.
Arsenal 0-0 Chelsea – Not the best, but not the worst performance, Chelsea defended perfectly, difficult to break through. He was easily muted and was constantly made to drop deep.
Arsenal 2-1 Reading – Disappointing performance from the whole team despite a good win.
Man United 1-1 Arsenal – Isolated and ineffective, should have scored.
This is not the way the media portrays Giroud, an honest game by game assessment.
Six goals and 2 assists in 11 games doesn’t sound too bad at all. But if we were to class this, it would be ‘great’, not ‘world-class’, not a ‘league-winning forward’.
So why does it seem to not work?
A number of Giroud’s performances last season looked less than desirable, uninspiring and lethargic. Is that what you want from your main target man?
The Frenchman has a very simple way of playing, but it remains effective. He gets the ball down, brings his midfield into play and heads straight for the penalty area. Once in the box, he looks to get at the front post or in between centre-backs for the cut back, his movement is class. It’s unreadable at times but, just like Arsene Wenger and the way he sets up his formation, Giroud needs to adapt to the defenders he is up against. He should know that against Terry and Cahill, those positions won’t be easy to pick up in front of his man, like there is against the likes of Mike Williamson and Fabricio Coloccini, for instance. Giroud brings a variety of goals in the form of tap ins, volleys, headers and more which make him a nightmare to deal with.
Like the blip around the Monaco game, Giroud frequently fluctuates between good and bad, no in between. Awful against Monaco, but hits back against Everton instantly, the inconsistency is what makes his reputation.
Another reason why I personally love the way he plays is how he brings the likes of Mesut Ozil, Aaron Ramsey and Santi Cazorla in to play. His quick but precise style of play is a dream for the dynamic Arsenal midfield, bringing them in to the attacking picture. Giroud is amongst the reasons why Ramsey was so prolific in the 2013/14 season and has gone on to aid Alexis Sanchez in his first, triumphant season. Although it enhances the midfield’s goal contribution, it equally can decrease his, also making his status dampened as a forward, as a ‘talisman’.
So the question still lies, how do we win the league with Giroud as our main forward?
My answer is a striker to play off Giroud, perhaps the likes of Alexandre Lacazette or Gonzalo Higuain would be ideal, strikers who will help him to improve and pick up the intensity throughout the year.
