Arsenal: Olivier Giroud gets center stage over Alexandre Lacazette

Arsenal’s starting XI is getting more complicated given the strong performances we’ve seen. SO distinguishing between Olivier Giroud or Alexandre Lacazette is tough.

Olivier Giroud has long been the unquestioned king of the striker position at Arsenal. But unfortunately for him and supporters and all parties involved, really, was that his reign was unquestioned because there was no one there to challenge him.

Which hindered his own development.

Now, however, Giroud has plenty of competition, and it is only going to get fiercer by the day. In turn, Giroud has become fiercer by the day, not only in his ability to score goals (some of which are pure magic) but in his ability to do everything else.

I can’t praise him enough for his ability to free up space for team mates and we saw that first hand when he laid the ball off beautifully for Alex Iwobi against Benfica. That is what he brings to the table when you start him up front and that is why, against Chelsea in the Community Shield and maybe longer, he should be up front as opposed to Alexandre Lacazette.

Lacazette is absolutely here to inherit that position, but he has to earn it and he simply has not done that yet. It’s not like he’s been terrible, not by any means, but to think that he can just waltz on into such an important role and excel from the start is unrealistic and, more importantly, it’s completely unnecessary. This is new territory for Lacazette, as he himself mentioned, so let him get the feel of the place before we go expecting the world.

More from Pain in the Arsenal

Giroud and Lacazette have been utilized as a tandem this preseason and it’s working. It gives Lacazette the freedom he needs to come and go in the box. He sneaks in with his runs and that’s how his two goals have come to be.

Meanwhile it alleviates his need to compete for space with Premier League caliber defenders because he can sit behind that mess and let Giroud handle it. Lacazette is all about the runs and getting in behind, not about boxing out the biggest guys on the pitch for space.

Plus, what often seems to happen is that Lacazette slips in alongside Giroud to form a two striker set with Mesut Ozil in behind them pulling the strings. How can you not believe in that set up? Or, at other times he is a false 9 a-la Dennis Bergkamp where he can use his creativity (which he has plenty of) to link up play.

Next: Arsenal's Predicted FIFA 18 Player Ratings

This is the freedom that would be lost by sticking Lacazette in a straight up No. 9 role. That’s where Giroud belongs.

Home/Arsenal News