Is Olivier Giroud good enough to lead the line for Arsenal next season?

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Ever since Olivier Giroud joined Arsenal form Montpellier in 2012, questions have been asked about whether he is good enough to lead the line for Arsene Wenger’s side. More often than not, he has been the manager’s favourite to play through the middle, and he has shown himself to be a decent Premier League striker.

The Frenchman has never scored fewer than ten goals in a Premier League season, scoring 16 last season to match his career best total in England. His stats are good, but not great, and that is how Giroud is best summed up.

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He fits into Arsenal’s style really well, occupying the opposition centre-backs to allow more space for the creative talents behind him to strut their stuff. Even if Giroud is not scoring, his physical presence makes him an important part of the line-up.

The Frenchman is far too hit-and-miss to be a real star for Arsenal, though. Last season, he went on a run of 14 league games without a goal as the Gunners title chase collapsed after the new year. When fighting for league titles, you need your centre forward to be bagging goals at least every other game. Giroud has too many periods where he is not contributing to the side, and this is normally when Arsenal’s form falters.

This is especially bad when considering the creative talents behind Giroud. Mesut Özil was creating so many chances last season that any striker worth his salt should have been bagging at least 20, if not 25 goals last season. Giroud’s 16 represents a fairly lucklustre total with that in mind.

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Giroud’s strengths and weaknesses have both been on full show at the Euros. Three goals is a good total, bagging one against Romania and a double against Iceland, but his effect was minimised against Germany when France were on the ropes in the first half. He wasn’t staying up to challenge Germany’s defenders, who were monopolising the ball, and his lack of pace was exposed as he tried to break from the half way line. This suggests that Giroud will continue to be effective against weaker opposition, but in the Champions League, when Arsenal are penned in, he is not well equipped for Arsenal to play on the back foot.

Now that Arsenal have signed Granit Xhaka, further improving their midfield, they should be more solid defensively and more able to dominate games which would limit the weaknesses of Giroud. Arsenal will certainly finish in the top 4 with Giroud, but the league could be beyond them and they will continue to fall at the same Champions League hurdle without a better striker.

With Alvaro Morata and Alexandre Lacazette linked, it may be time for some new blood up top if Arsenal are going to advance to the next level.

Featured Image: All rights reserved by Erwan Le Belleguy