Is Olivier Giroud the next great Arsenal forward?
Arsenal has seen many legends come and go. The Gooner nation have been fortunate to sing and chant for some of the Premier League’s finest footballers. Fans have been lucky to watch homegrown heroes like Tony Adams, Lee Dixon and Steve Bould and famous foreign imports like Patrick Vieira, Dennis Bergkamp and Thierry Henry. However, since the departure of Henry, not much has excited Arsenal fans.
Yes they loved Cesc Fabregas, but the love affair ended bitterly after he moved to Barcelona. Also, the team won nothing during his chapter as Arsenal Captain. Sure, Samir Nasri was nice while he lasted, but his move to Manchester City was nothing short of football treason in the eyes of fans. Theo Walcott promises much, but delivers little. Andrey Arshavin was the huge hope post-Euro 2008, but other than a ridiculously brilliant four-goal performance at Anfield, what else has the wee Russian done?
And then there is current hero-bordering-on-villain, Robin van Persie. He had a sensational last season, and stepped into the captain’s role leading by example, but he, too, is now ready to leave Arsenal behind in the hope he can win trophies with another team. This is causing more heartbreak for fans. But should it?
Unlike any other transfer window, Arsene Wenger has seen fit to resolve the issue of outgoing players much earlier, a surprising strategic move for him. Accused of panic buying by the media and fans in January, Wenger in some ways was at least vindicated by his purchase of Mikel Arteta during that transfer window. The ex-Everton star transitioned seamlessly into the Arsenal midfield and was integral to their Champions League push towards the end of the season.
There are a few other positives to consider. If Arsenal can keep Thomas Vermaelen and Laurent Koscielny fit so they can form a long-standing partnership at the back, carefully manage an emerging player like Alex-Oxlade Chamberlain and get Jack Wilshere back to full health, you could say the future is bright for the red and white part of North London. Add to that mix the introduction of German goal scoring machine Lukas Podolski, the recent purchase of midfield maestro Santi Cazorla from Malaga and the imposing-yet-mysterious Olivier Giroud, do Arsenal fans really have anything to worry about?
If you don’t know much about Olivier Giroud, he was the single main reason why Montpellier won Ligue 1 last season. This young French player is so calm and confident in front of goal. Laurent Blanc should have shown a bit more faith in him during Euro 2012, and if he did, there is no doubt France would have progressed further in the competition. With the talent they have on the flanks, Les Bleus would have been far more prolific in the final third had they played Karim Benzema a little behind Giroud.
So what does the capture of Olivier Giroud mean for Arsenal?
Like Robin van Persie last season, Giroud won the Golden Boot in total style with 33 goals in one of Europe’s most competitive leagues. He can score goals from all angles, he can utilize both of his feet (unlike many players in today’s game) and standing tall at 6′ 4”, Giroud is just as strong in the air. He is the complete forward and the best overall package Arsenal have had in that position since the days of Thierry Henry.
Arsenal fans have seen many a Frenchman join their team over the years, and there is no doubt the recent purchases of Marouane Chamakh and Gervinho have left them with a fairly bad taste in their mouth.
But Giroud is different.
He is the type of player who stands out on the pitch when you watch him. He has immense presence—the type of presence Arsenal desperately need up front. Giroud also has excellent talent around him who will create chances and help him score goals. He doesn’t require too many chances to get a goal either. Unlike Chamakh, he has all the right tools to be a prolific finisher in the Premier League.
Loyalty doesn’t really exist in many sports these days, but, if Giroud falls in love with Arsenal Football Club the same way Thierry Henry did, in years to come, we could be talking about him in the same light as Henry.
You might think this to be an exaggeration, but he truly has all the makings of becoming an Arsenal legend. He may never surpass Henry’s 174 goals; there’s a chance nobody ever will. Henry took time to settle after arriving from Juventus, and with a little patience, he scored an an impressive 26 goals in his first season. Giroud will need time to settle and hopefully fans will be patient with him too as he adapts to a new league.
The stage is set. If Robin van Persie actually leaves, Arsenal fans will want to crown a new hero. It’s all down to Giroud now.
the British Soccer Diva is Sophie Nicolaou you can follow her on twitter @soccerdiva
This article first appeared on bleacher report and appears here courtesy of Sophie Nicolaou
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_YJCWOuUXhE
Nice song for Lukas Podolski…Lu Lu Lu Lukas Podolski….Goldi Poldi Halleluja
…truth is I used to dream about Arsenal signing this guy. Hard to believe we have.
Arsenal FC’s approach to the 2012 off-season has seen the club get well and truly on the front foot – very different to recent off-seasons and particularly the last one which was as bad a catastrophe as I have witnessed in many years of following football. Fans are undoubtedly enjoying this new sense of purpose and proactivity even if we are afflicted with yet another episode in the long running drama of the ‘prima-donna captain wanting to exit’. Maybe Wenger is finally learning the lesson that making your marquee player your club captain has very real risks and is ultimately destabilising – think eggs and baskets. Vermaelen to me seems a better choice, he has sufficient profile (but not too much), the fans warm to his whole hearted approach and he is a ‘do as I do’ type of leader who has a happy habit of popping up with a goal when really needed. Importantly, if we pay him at a good level and sign him to a long contract he is less likely to be successfully and aggressively pursued by the Barcelona’s of this world – it’s just not worth it to them to expend a lot of energy pursuing a guy like Vermaelen – there are other players of a similar calibre (and that’s not a putdown just a statement of reality).
Arsenal FC has put itself in a rather nice position leading in to the season despite the unresolved Robin van Persie saga. By signing Giroud, Podolski and Cazorla (25, 27 & 27) – three attackers in their prime – they’ve steadied the ship no matter what happens. Instead we see the 2 Manchester clubs gnashing their teeth at our refusal to buckle to their discount offers (on the basis of his age, fitness and last year of contract status). Either way – whether we sell him or keep him – Arsenal has a tenable position. The new threesome plus Gervinho, Walcott and Oxlade-Chamberlain gives Arsenal sufficient goal scoring venom to enter the season, having Robin van Persie as well would simply be a rather large bonus. We have needed to recalibrate the attack for many years and yet thanks to Wenger’s commitment to Robin van Persie as the foci together with the youth approach we’ve failed to do so. The last 5 years have been pretty woeful with the attack being physically non-robust and too often toothless in front of goal. We need to score more goals than everyone else because we are a team with an attacking DNA – and yet our ability to execute has diminished year-by-year.
Importantly signing the threesome also sends a number of other timely messages to players such as Song. Does Song really want to do a Hleb and be a bit-part at Barcelona or does he rethink and stay at Arsenal where he is a starter in a team that may (finally) be looking a bit more interesting. Ditto Walcott, does he leave or renew? It’s a more complex decision now that the club has some serious firepower to add to the possession game. It also sends signals to the other capable players we have on our books, instead of limping into the season and hoping that everything goes our way we have actually improved the odds a bit. The Wilshere’s, Arteta’s, Vermaelen’s and Sagna’s will appreciate that. No one wants to start the season thinking in their heart we’re beaten before a ball is kicked.
For fans the threesome brings a sense of newness to the team that has been badly lacking. Continuity is fine if it is delivering what you want otherwise it just smells a bit off. I’m entering the season thinking. Is Cazorla going to do a Pires? At 27 is he the type of guy who can be an Arsenal legend at 33? Why not? And which of Giroud and Podolski is going to adapt and bang in the goals first? Each has different internal motivation. Giroud is a Laurent Koscielny type, a guy who slogs away in the lower echelons in his formative years before rising sharply in his mid-20’s at a humble club. He wants to maximise this opportunity which he probably never envisaged getting – he is soaking everything up. Podolski on the other hand was a rising young star at mid-table FC Köln and very much in the public eye, selected continually by his country (a powerhouse like Germany no-less) and watched by many of the best clubs in Europe. His future looked bright, very bright. He was signed by that über giant Bayern Munich and his upward trajectory should have led to superstardom. But no, not so, Bayern wasn’t a happy time for him and he slipped quietly back to FC Köln to rehab. And then after three years enter Arsenal and a chance for salvation, another shot at the big-time but this time in a nurturing environment with a manager who excels with the wounded spirit. Podolski has Henry’s post-Juventus motivation or Bergkamp’s post-Inter, the desire to ‘make it’ after experiencing a deep disappointment and a wounded pride known by those who fail to excel at a high profile club.
Yes, a bit of interest has returned to Arsenal FC….
@Kiwi, agreed, so far so good…
still have not done anything with the likes of Arshavin or Bendtner, though Bendy is rumored to be a straight swap to AC MIlan for Philip Mexes! (can I drive him to the airport, please?)
and Ryo has been loaned out again, this year to Wigan…
But a lot of options going forward… not so much in the back 4 or shielding it…
M’Villa could be snatched up for 15 Million, by our rivals down the road… the Totts.
and old friend Ade, has been told he has ZERO chance of playing this year at City… as a professional, do you
accept a lower salary to play, or sit in the stands and collect 170K per week?!
should be a very interesting week run-up to the opener…
good run out for the boys today. the three newb’s looked the part with their movement and link-up play. despite scoring two goals, podolski seemed to struggle early on; seemed to need more time on the ball than he will get in the bpl. maybe it was the nerves of returning to his hometown club. we’ll see. likewise, i thought it was a very composed performance from giroud; smart with the ball, smart runs, good link-up, allowed the game to come to him. despite not scoring, he more looked the part than podolski. it will be interesting to see him against bpl opposition.
cazorla will make arsenal fun to watch again. after all of the crying i did about the lack of a playmaker last season, this guy is a breath of fresh air. he and chamberlain look as though they’ve played together for years. santi should make arsenal better than the team that finished 19 points back; especially if arsenal keep rvp.
speaking of van persie, prophetically, he was given the armband when he came on but seemed almost disinterested. maybe he’s been working hard to get fit and was tired. maybe he wanted to play with cazorla. maybe he really wants to leave. we’ll see how this plays out.
lastly, i really didn’t like song’s play today. if it were me, i would start this team on saturday:
szczesny
gibbs, vermaelen, koscielny, jenkinson
arteta, chamberlain, cazorla
theo, van persie, gervinho
we’ll see.
@joshuad,
Not sure about Jenkinson. He’ll probably start, but I would prefer to see Coq or Yennaris there…
Also that midfield looks a bit overrunable (if that’s a word). That said they all seem to have the discipline to put in some defensive yards if required. Either way, I’ll be very surprised if a Song-less midfield takes to the pitch against Sunderland. In fact, If Cazorla ends up going for the stupid friends, I’m quite sure Diaby will start in midfield as well (he looked alright today as well).
Half time at Koln, Arsenal up 3-nil….
If anybody is watching and can help me with a better (free) stream, I’d appreciate it….
On the topic, Giroud looked good with his hold up play and putting the ball on target (two shots blocked). My stream is such that I couldn’t tell much about the Pen….
Cazorla also looks handy in MF and Lu-Po seems more clinical with his touches than say, Theo….
New 11 for the 2nd period?
just watched the men’s gold medal game. one of the best games of international soccer i’ve seen in a long time. mexico had a few players that really stood out to me. i liked enriquez who was their holding midfielder; very composed and super smart with the ball. second, i really liked diego antonio reyes; no relation to jose antonio reyes. he was so solid against senegal but followed up that performance with a dynamite game against the big shot brazilians. a tall and skinny kid who plays for club america in mexico. once again, super-smart player who hardly put a foot wrong. needs to bulk up a bit but he’s got smarts that some of our current crop don’t have.
park scored the game winner in the bronze medal game for south korea which exempted him from his military obligation. we’ll see if that means anything.
@joshuad,
Meh. I was a bit disappointed from the game. First olympics game I’m seeing this year and I guess the BRazilians were overhyped or didn’t rise to the occasion. Spot on on Reyes. Kid was immense! Only 19 as well I think the commentator said? Oscar looks like after some polishing he’s going to be some player (first time I’m seeing him as well).
While I like Giroud and think he could, and I repeat, COULD be a hidden gem, It’s way too early to Christen him the next Henry.
He is more in the category of Koz when we got him, a late bloomer with loads of potential who hopefully will continue to improve and establish himself as a star striker in the future.
He certainly has the tools and should be hungry enough to prove his growth but should not be expected to contribute a lot this year.
Secondly, he is basically our first out and out striker in many years so it will be interesting to see how Wenger utilizes him. We may have to change out formation and/or style of play up front to utilize his natural talents instead of trying to plug him into system. Only time will tell if Wenger has lost his stubbornness and do so.
Poldi on the other hand immediately slots into our system and may well be able to contribute immediately. Giroud is definitely not a RVP replacement and could suffer the consequences if Arsene tries to convert him into a winger, a la Bendtner..
Well written article but definitely rose tinted.
95% of the football world would have preferred nasri in the euros to giroud. and best overall striker since thierry henry? child, please. giroud is a serious drop off in class from adebayor and van persie and doesn’t deserve a mention in the same breath as henry. arsenal’s most complete striker? once again, pales in comparison to rvp or ade the dade.
yes, i believe everything you’ve said is an exaggeration. i’m on record saying i don’t think giroud is better than bendtner, let alone ade or rvp. you’re clearly excited by this guy but we tend to let time tell around here. your many hypothetical “if’s” are reaching. everyone hopes their best players stay fit and even if giroud loves arsenal, that means nothing. adebayor loved arsenal but he was sold.
time will tell if you know something that we don’t. time always tells. we’ll see.
@joshuad,
Agree with a lot of this.
Don’t know about the Giroud vs Bendtner yet. Haven’t seen enough of Giroud past the youtube vids.
Also, I don’t think Henry was a complete striker at all. My fav footballer of all time, but he wasn’t ‘complete’. He was a bit of a specialist and Arsenal got every last drop out of his strengths. I think guys like Drogba would better suit the ‘complete’ definition. Not that this is a knock on Henry in any way. I don’t think players need to be complete to be outstanding.
@joshuad, Giroud did more in one season at Montpellier, than Bendtner has done in his entire career… maybe will do in his entire career!
Have we sold that clown yet? or is he still on our books?
I hope he promotes some more gambling sites, and gets fined or suspended!
he’s not a winner, and he’s not even half as good as he THINKS he is…
what’s Bendtner ever done?
@stag133, if you put bendtner in that montpelier team with utaka, belhanda, and the rest, i guarantee he does at least as well as giroud has. in his last two seasons at arsenal he averaged more than your precious theo walcott with about 1/4 of the minutes.
this is in no way an attempt to praise bendtner. we all know he’s nowhere near as good as he thinks he is. however, i do think he’s better than giroud. perhaps i’m wrong. time will tell.
@joshuad, correction. i meant to say that i think bendtner is as good as giroud, not better than giroud.
@joshuad, Josh, Bendtner couldn’t carry Theo Walcotts towels!
He can’t even find a team to play for this year…
if he’s so good, why aren’t teams lining up to buy him?
@stag133,
Allow me to stop you there Stag, reports are Milan want the greatest striker that ever lived and will give us Mexes for him. You like the sound of that?
Giroud did have a magical year at Montpellier…
no doubt about it…
but I’d like to see him play 1/3 of a season before we can even mention him in the same breath as … Sylvan Wiltord… let alone RVP or Thierry Henry!
I’d take him being a productive player, who scores in double digits…
That would be a nice season.
Good piece. But I always wan’t to see a player for at least a half season before labeling him a savior.
I remember Chamak came out one fire and looked pretty good but class showes over time and he doesn’t have what it takes to play for a top 5 Time.
I don;t think that Gervinho has left a “sour taste” in our mouth. Many Gooners are exceited about his potential for the upcoming season. Chamakh was a flop last season but Gervinho wasn’t regarded in the same way.
He could be very good. I am one of those who is genuinely excited about the coming season. Our 3 new additions all have the following in common – each was the main man helping their respective clubs to over achieve – each one is able to hold the ball and keep possession – each one is technically strong and physically strong – each one has proven international experience. These represent a real step up in quality.
Seriously does this guy know anything about Arsenal, i dont even support the gunners cmon. I put money on it he is basing his opinion on Giroud soley from what he has seen from Youtube
@simon,
First, Sophie is a woman. And Second, Sophie knows more about Football then you do of that I am sure.
Arteta was not recruited in january window!
@Macca7,
it was a typo lighten-up.
Thierry Henry scored 228 goals with arsenal
@Jon,
Henry featured in 254 league games from 1999-2007 and scored 174 goals.
He played in a total of 380 games in all competitions and scored 226 goals in all.