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Can Olivier Giroud really bounce back?

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Wenger GiroudNo one Arsenal player managed to cover themselves in glory during their midweek Champions League clash against Monaco. Even Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, who came on late on in the match and scored The Gunners’ only goal of the evening managed to spoil things by giving the ball away for the Ligue 1 side’s third goal.

The worst of the bunch, however, was one of Arsenal’s Frenchmen. Olivier Giroud, The Gunners only real out and out striker was presented with a wealth of opportunities, but he failed to produce the goods on any occasion. It’s hard to say which moment was worse, the time when he headed over from Santi Cazorla’s free-kick or when he blazed over from six-yards out because he got his technique all wrong.

After the game, Arsene Wenger tried to defend his player: ‘(He) didn’t miss the chances on purpose. He wanted to score the goals but it didn’t happen.’ (Source: The Metro)

These comments kind of miss the point. It doesn’t matter whether Giroud intended to miss or not (of course he didn’t do it on purpose!). What matters is why he did. I can’t help but feel that he let the occasion get to him, which has been the case for so many Arsenal players in recent years.

Giroud’s comments after the game were actually pretty smart: ‘I am not a better or worse player then three days ago, it is just about confidence and keeping strong. I am really hurting, more than disappointed, it has been embarrassing for me. But I have never given up in my career and sometimes I have had tough games like that before. I will keep working hard and bounce back as soon as possible.’

He’s completely right. That’s to say, he’s still the same man he was a few days before. He’s still a good finisher (on his day). He’s still a slowpoke. He’s still got issues with his mentality in big games.

If he wants to kick on in his career, I’d argue that he needs to tackle that last issue first.

What’s your take? Will Olivier Giroud bounce back from this major career set-back?

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