Arsenal: Olivier Giroud Destined For Unappreciated Career

Arsenal have not been able to win any major trophies with Olivier Giroud, but is all of the hatred he suffers far and wide really deserved?

You’ve probably heard the news. French national fans booed Olivier Giroud, so the reports say. All before the match up against Cameroon, where, funny enough, he scored. And an impressive volley at that (see below).

It’s just another goal to add to his recent tally, as he closed out the Arsenal season with four goals and two assists in his last two games. Hardly enough to help fans forget about the four months he spent not scoring. However, it is hard to score on the bench. Very hard, in fact.

Whatever the case, the point that I am again hung up on is where there is so much dissent centered on Olivier Giroud. The guy isn’t perfect, but has he ever had the full support of any fan base?

"Giroud goal vs Cameroonhttps://t.co/wu8zU8Ktcf— SportsDictator (@SportDictatorHQ) May 30, 2016"

Giroud has done so much for this club, for the French National club – wherever he goes. He scores goals. He goes through droughts, sometimes heavy droughts, but for entire fan bases to completely turn on him? That seems a bit extreme.

Giroud remains one of the top strikers in the Premier League. That may be hard for Arsenal supporters to grasp, but he is. He is always in the top five in goals scored, save this year, where he was replaced for nearly half a season. But year in and year out, Giroud does his best to be the only viable striker on a top-tier team.

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Put anyone in that situation and see what happens. You cannot possibly expect any man to be able to single-handedly provide for goals on a team like Arsenal. And that’s why they don’t. Wenger has built around Giroud with guys like Alexis and Ozil to provide a solid attacking cohesion. Giroud provides even when he isn’t scoring. He takes up space, he holds up play, he passes very well. Arsenal is not a team that relies on a striker to score goals, or at least they aren’t supposed to be.

But they have become reliant on that and without reliable options (notice the plural), that set-up will not work. Giroud is an option. He can’t be the only option and that is what he has become. Many blamed Giroud for Ozil’s assist drought, but Giroud spend the majority of 2016 on a bench. Ozil wasn’t passing to him over there. Ozil’s assists fell off the radar because Arsenal as a team stopped scoring. Welbeck, Alexis, everyone. Goals were hard to come by.

Next: 5 Reasons Griezmann Is The Mystery Striker

You can’t blame a guy sitting on the bench for the problems on the field. It isn’t Giroud’s fault that he isn’t perfect. No, really, it isn’t. He needs a striker that can compliment him. That can be the missing piece. If Wenger can bring that to Arsenal, then we will see the best of Giroud. It’s just a shame we couldn’t see that sooner.

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