Football365’s early winner: Olivier Giroud

Football365’s early winner: Olivier Giroud

After Arsenal’s late collapse against Everton and second-half capitulation at Manchester City, it is easy to forget that gaining points, not losing them, has been the hallmark of their season. Points were earned in the 89th minute or later against Southampton, Burnley, Manchester United and Ludogorets. By those standards, victory against West Brom was ahead of schedule.

Yet there is no doubt that this was a necessary win, and therefore desperate cause. Chelsea have won 12 in a row, Liverpool two, Tottenham two, Manchester City three and Manchester United four. Had Arsenal taken a single point from their last three Premier League games, their title challenge in November would have warped into a top-four struggle by January.

There were groans, there were murmurs, there were sighs and there were tuts around the Emirates. For 86 minutes, Ben Foster, Tony Pulis and West Brom frustrated a competent Arsenal to the point of total exasperation. When Arsene Wenger needed a hero, up stepped the forgotten man to provide victory. Via a Mesut Ozil cross, naturally.

It is not Olivier Giroud’s performance that makes him our winner. Never has the Frenchman had to wait so long for a first league start of the season, and Giroud cut an understandably frustrated and rusty figure for long periods of the match. Arsenal’s players have got used to Alexis Sanchez as a false nine, and at times struggled to service a more traditional centre forward. Giroud was booked for an off-the-ball incident and could easily have been substituted in order to switch Sanchez back into a central area. Wenger kept the faith.

Yet there are still things Giroud can do better than anyone else in Arsenal’s squad. Ozil’s floated cross may have gifted the German with yet another assist, but it was Giroud who created the match-winning chance by wrestling away from Gareth McAuley and positioning himself perfectly for the ball to reach him. His neck strength to loop the ball away from the superb Foster and into the top corner showed an expertise that few can compete with in the Premier League. The hero’s call had been answered.

Giroud’s celebration told the story of his season, an outpouring of pent-up aggression and passion that has been too often – for his liking at least – kept in reserve. Giroud’s typical demeanour is hardly akin to a caged animal, but frustration does funny things. The raw statistics may say that Giroud is scoring league goals at a rate of one every 65 minutes this season, but those minutes are far too infrequent for an international striker. And that’s without Danny Welbeck’s impending return to fitness.

Therein lies the dichotomy of the super-sub striker. You are needed, but only on occasion, used in times of feast or famine but rarely in between. Everybody wants to feel loved, but love is enjoyed most as a constant rather than spasmodically. Does Giroud accept his bit-part role and enjoy the fleeting moments of joy? Is it better to be the lover or the spouse?

Whatever Giroud’s decision, he should be under no illusion of his importance to Wenger: “I have a big respect for him and he knows that. He was not always playing and despite that, he kept a strong motivation level. When you’re not selected, you have to be ready. And the players who are always ready when they get their chance, they are there. The players who feel sorry for themselves, they get their chance and they give you one more reason to justify why you didn’t select them. The fighters are always ready.”

Giroud, the fighter, is always ready. There is plenty to rue about a player never quite reaching the level his club needed, but more to admire about that same player refusing to down tools or throw toys from the pram. Giroud deserves for his ‘Plan B’ tag to be taken as compliment more than insult.

Daniel Storey