Arsenal: Olivier Giroud Criticism Horribly Ill-Placed

Arsenal pulled off a spectacular yet underwhelming draw against Bournemouth and while Olivier Giroud was the hero, he was also the villain. Foolishness.

First of all, let me set down some ground rules about this article. I am not defending Olivier Giroud just because it’s my shtick. I am not defending him just to go against the flow. I am defending him because I thoroughly believe that what he did in Arsenal‘s draw against Bournemouth was warranted.

Related: 10 Things We Learned About Arsenal In 2016

And you could put anyone in his place and I would still defend it.

That being said, let’s chat.

When Olivier Giroud tied the match up against Bournemouth, he celebrated. He gave a little scorpion jig. And just like that, all heroics of the match were forgotten and he was the villain.

The criticism out there is scathing and it is bewildering to me. It makes me remember that sometimes people target Giroud because he’s an easy scapegoat.

I get that time was ticking and that Giroud would have been better off grabbing the ball and running back to the circle, but cut the guy some slack. Arsenal wouldn’t even have been in that position without Giroud’s individual brilliance. He set up both previous goals and scored the last.

Beyond that, the match was incredibly frustrating. Nothing came off and the Gunners were left flustered. Tying the match had to be a fulfilling feeling and one that clearly evoked some unbridled passion from the Frenchman.

More from Pain in the Arsenal

• 3 observations from Arsenal’s victory at Goodison Park
• 3 standout players from 1-0 victory over Everton
• 3 positives & negatives from Goodison Park victory
• Arsenal vs PSV preview: Prediction, team news & lineups
• 3 talking points from Arsenal’s victory at Goodison Park

And still going beyond that, Giroud’s season in general has been incredibly frustrating, as he was written off at the beginning of the year and has had to fight his way back into contention. The release at having such a brilliant individual performance come off had to feel like a tidal wave. I would hazard the assumption that Giroud didn’t even think, he just did, as his passion was uncontrollable.

I’m not excusing the seconds that he wasted. He probably should have been more aware. That being said there was still plenty of time and plenty of opportunities. To call him a fool is just irresponsible.

Give the guy some credit and then add as a caveat that he should have understood the situation a bit better. Don’t start with blaming him for wasting time and then add as an aside ‘oh, but he had a great game’.

Next: Arsenal's 30 Greatest Players Ever

Giroud was brilliant. He has been brilliant for awhile now. I’ll allow him a dance or two.