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Arsenal Must Determine What Is Next For Olivier Giroud

By Finn Laister-Smith

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Contrary to most examples of players’ careers stagnating, the statistics would indicate that Olivier Giroud’s form has not fallen off a cliff. The Frenchman has maintained a ratio of nearly one goal every two games for Arsenal since he joined them from Montpellier HSC in the summer of 2012.

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This season, he has scored three goals in eight appearances in the Premier League – only a 37.5% goal to game ratio. Though eight games is a small sample size for an entire season. However, since the 2015-16 campaign has started, he has not been the same player.

Two of those three goals have come from headers, and one was in fact a brilliant first touch bicycle kick against Crystal Palace. But for a striker in the Arsenal tactical system, goal output is far from the only thing that matters.

Against Manchester United, Arsenal’s starting striker Theo Walcott had a fantastic game and did not score. The Englishman was excellent on the counter attack and provided two assists for Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil early in the first half. Giroud has not made two assists in a single game since the 2013-14 season.

Completely discounting their physical makeups, there are huge differences between Walcott and Giroud in their styles of play. Giroud somewhat fits Arsenal’s possession game better as he is much more effective with one touch than Walcott. The target man can get on the end of crosses and lobbed through balls with expert control, something his smaller English counterpart cannot do so well.

However, the slow possession game is not the one Arsenal need to play in the big games, as we just saw against Manchester United. The speed on the break is necessary for the Gunners if they want to score goals regularly and effectively, and Walcott – not Giroud – is the striker for that role. Walcott is better at running off the ball and opening up opportunities for teammates. Whereas Giroud will not touch the ball unless he is inside the 18-yard box.

So what is Giroud to do now that he is Arsenal’s substitute forward? Theo Walcott is giving Wenger zero reasons to drop him at the moment. And Giroud is not exactly showing up when he comes off the bench. It might even be harder for Giroud to come in later in the game when it is more open and when Arsenal have not been playing to suit his game. However, a striker who truly wanted to go out and get that first-team spot would grab it by the scruff of the neck and snatch it from Walcott – and that has yet to be seen.

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A bigger question is in the future, can Arsenal even cash in on Giroud? The Frenchman is 29 years old, so in a season or two they will have no chance of earning more than five or six million pounds for him – and that is if he plays well in the future and raises his own transfer stock.

Maybe Wenger wants to keep Giroud as a role player, and that is not a bad strategy as he has proved useful. However, (and it has been said many times in the past) the way the Gunners can rise to the next echelon of European football is replacing Giroud with somebody one level up. Perhaps a striker with Giroud’s size and more capabilities is the answer – there is no clear target at the moment. One thing is for sure, though. Giroud has to do something great, and quick – or else he could be out of a first team place for a while.

Next: Arsenal must deduce what is holding Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain back/

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