It’s taken a while for Arsenal fans to truly start to warm to Olivier Giroud, but they finally seem to be coming round to the Frenchman’s charms.
The trouble that Giroud faced when he arrived at the Emirates this summer, was that he was replacing Robin Van Persie, one of the best, most technically gifted strikers in world football. Very few footballers can judge the movement of the ball, calculate the angles, and find the back of the net in the way RVP can.
He’s more than proven at Manchester United that he’s one of the most brilliant strikers of this generation.
In other words, he’s a pretty tough act to follow.
Giroud had a good goal-scoring record in Ligue 1. The season before he left Arsenal, he was the top scorer and had led Montpellier to the French title. Despite all these positive omens, there was still the feeling that he wouldn’t be able to do the job at the Emirates.
This, naturally, was a little unfair. He should have been judged on his own merits and not on those of a player who upped and left when another more lucrative opportunity raised its head.
It didn’t help that his first Premier League goal didn’t come until October 6th, against West Ham (though he did nab a goal in September against Southampton in the Capital One Cup).
So yes, he had a difficult first month on English shores and the fans soon got on his back. Before long, pundits began to wonder if he had what it took. All this despite the fact that it often takes many foreign players a season or so to settle into the Premier League. Apparently Giroud was being held to a higher standard.
But Giroud has really kicked on since. His stats speak for themselves: In 33 appearances he has scored 14 goals and notched 10 assists. Yes, he’s not the most technically gifted player. He won’t dribble, or flick the ball around other players and he certainly doesn’t have the pace to play off the last man, but he has proven to be very effective.
Forming a nice partnership with Theo Walcott, Giroud has shown intelligent movement in the box, great aerial presence and made more than a few nice touches in the area that have led to goal-scoring opportunities for the Gunners.
I think it’s fair to say, the time’s right to start re-considering Giroud and his role in this Arsenal team. Perhaps he’s here for the long-run after all?
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