Arsenal: Olivier Giroud proven invaluable by Danny Welbeck

Arsenal went with Danny Welbeck to start against Chelsea, yet it was Olivier Giroud who made the bigger impact in far less time. Which isn’t even a surprise.

Arsenal have been having to choose between Danny Welbeck and Olivier Giroud as their starting striker since they switched the the 3-4-3 and neither one has been able to make the strongest case for themselves. Each one has their own strengths, but neither has been able to prove that their strengths are any better than the other’s.

Against Chelsea, the Gunners chose Danny Welbeck. In such a crucial match, the pressure was on and, for the most part, the Englishman lived up to it. Although I will say that the missed chances he had, if they had been instead missed by Giroud, would have been the subject of heavy criticism by supporters.

But regardless, Welbeck exited after Diego Costa’s equalizer for the goal machine Olivier Giroud. What happened next was easily predictable. Arsenal scored. So quickly, in fact, that they had barely even finished announcing Giroud’s arrival before the ball was in the back of the net.

Giroud turned a beautiful chip into the box that found the pristine run of Aaron Ramsey, who nodded home for the winner.

How can anyone continue to slight Giroud? This new strategy that Arsene Wenger has been using to get the most out of the hulking Frenchman is working to utter perfection. He keeps contributing to goals no matter the capacity that he is used.

Welbeck had his own impact on the game, but in the end he failed to help the Gunners extend their 1-0 lead. Meanwhile, Giroud was able to accomplish what Welbeck failed to accomplish and he did it with his first action of the game.

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From there, Giroud went on to create two further chances, pulling him equal with Mesut Ozil. And he only touched the ball ten times.

What else can you want from the guy? How else can he prove that he is worth everything that Wenger gives him. With each precious minute that he plays, hr proves that he belongs here, but not only that, he proves that we need him here.

My co-expert here, Andy, wrote recently that Welbeck negates the need for Giroud, but I could not disagree more. It wasn’t Welbeck that wasable to engineer the winner and he had over an hour to accomplish that. It was Giroud, coming onto the pitch fired up to make a difference.

No matter who Arsenal’s starting striker is going forward, they need a Giroud to put the pressure on and to challenge for that starting job. As long as he keeps doing what he has done this year, Giroud’s continued stay should be celebrated. He could challenge anyone for that job because all he does is create and score goals in his limited minutes.

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Meanwhile, until Danny Welbeck’s pace and dynamism start turning into actual goals, I’d take Giroud any day.

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