Arsenal: Olivier Giroud Injury Takes Care Of Unnecessary Problem

Arsenal look to be without Olivier Giroud for their trip to Stamford Bridge, but this actually nips a potentially unnecessary problem in the bud.

Arsenal has given us plenty to think about this week. After stomping Southampton 5-0 away with a squad of players that you wouldn’t normally see in their starting XI, they proceeded to lose at home to Watford with their usual squad of starters.

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It goes without saying then, that some changes should probably be made. The guys that won so conclusively need to be given a more serious look.

As I have been harping about all week – changes are needed, and they are needed now. There is no time to lose if we want to make one last effort at the title. A win at Stamford is the only outcome that will do.

Olivier Giroud stood out as a potential problem because it was clear against Watford that he was having trouble.

That would make it two games in a row that he has had trouble and while I’m probably the biggest Giroud fan in the world, even I have to admit that when the troubles start peaking in on Giroud, it’s time to ditch him and try something else.

Still, that would take a big leap by Wenger, who loves to stick to his guns, even when he sees those guns struggle so mightily against a lower-table team like Watford.

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I wasn’t sure if Wenger was going to be able to bench Giroud against Chelsea, even despite the extra rest Danny Welbeck got.

That may be taking care of itself though. Reports from the Daily Star indicate that Giroud may miss the trip to Stamford Bridge because of a knock he sustained to his ankle.

We never root for injuries, but sometimes they can work in our favor, and this could end up being one such case. Getting Danny Welbeck into that game against Chelsea for as much time as humanly possible is crucial and this forces Wenger’s hand, much like Ramsey’s injury forces Oxlade-Chamberlain into the starting role.

The only drawback is the lack of having a bulldozer like Giroud to bring on late, when defenses are tired and he is fresh. That would have been quite the weapon to lean on, but still, with Danny Welbeck in the form he appears to be in (after that one game), we should have plenty of firepower to cause the Blues a bit of trouble.

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Now let’s just hope Wenger doesn’t overthink it and put Alexis up front instead. More on that later today.