In an interview with beIN Sports, Olivier Giroud opened up about the criticism he has received.
Maybe that nickname (lamppost) I deserved after the game against Monaco, but I didn’t play my game. It makes me smile more than anything else because I know when I am good or not.
Giroud was of course referring to the 1-3 loss at home to Monaco in the UEFA Champions League. He missed all six of his shots in what is considered to be one of the worst games for the Frenchman. Arsenal were subsequently knocked out of the Champions League, despite making a 2-0 come back in France, due to away goals.
After a goalless draw at the Emirates against Chelsea later on in the campaign, Thierry Henry questioned Giroud’s quality.
I think Giroud is doing extremely well.
But can you win the league with him? I wouldn’t think so. He does a job, and he does it ever so well, but you can’t win the league.
Giroud also spoke about those remarks.
There you are going back several months, but I understand that you want to talk about the subject.
It is true that Titi said certain things in his new role as a pundit, he was quite harsh even if we can understand what he was saying.
I would have preferred that he said these things face to face, but I am not going to go back into it.
The Frenchman, however, wants to put the past behind him and move forward.
It is finished, all of that is finished. I haven’t lost any confidence, I bounced back really well after that match.
I think it shows that I have good mental strength, now I think that if we are going to do something great this season we will do it together.
And I think that the boss knows that we have a very competitive team with lots of quality.
Now, I hope we won’t be hurt by injuries with Danny hurting his knee and Jack his ankle, but for me, if you ask me the question, those are things that, those little attacks, are part of the job, you have to deal with it.
You have to back yourself to come back and navigate around them. There will always be critics, the important thing is to remain concentrated on the pitch.
Despite the poor performance against Monaco, Giroud had a very good season for the Gunners, scoring 19 goals in 36 games for the north London side. He’ll be looking to improve on that record as he has done in his previous seasons.
Many Arsenal fans have doubt over whether Giroud is good enough to lead the Gunners’ front line with many calling for a new striker to be signed.
