Arsene Wenger Must Show More Faith In Olivier Giroud

Arsene Wenger Must Show More Faith In Olivier Giroud
11:05, 13 Dec 2017

Where would Arsenal be without Olivier Giroud? It’s a question that many Gooners, and neutrals, have asked themselves over the years, but most commonly with negative, pained undertones. However, on Sunday Arsenal would have suffered defeat at Southampton. Were it not for Giroud, the Gunners would have found themselves cut adrift from the top four.

Indeed, the French striker netted a valuable equaliser for Arsenal at St Mary’s Stadium, making the difference for Gunners when they needed him most. All the criticism angled at Giroud washed away for the 12 minutes he was on the pitch, introduced off the bench as a second-half substitute. For that time, Giroud was the frontman his team needed. 

This is a common thread that has run through Arsenal’s entire season up until this point. Alexandre Lacazette was signed as the number nine the Gunners had lacked for years, ever since the departure of Robin Van Persie. That was seen as a real watershed moment in the club’s recent history, at least in the renaissance of Arsene Wenger.

It’s true that Lacazette was an impressive signing, the kind of signing Wenger should have made years ago. However, the French international has struggled to find his true role in the Arsenal first team. There have been glimpses of what he can offer, of what he can bring to the Gunners’ attacking line, but ultimately Lacazette is still something of a misfit.

This is where Giroud has highlighted the role he can still play for Arsenal. He might have been replaced as the Gunners’ frontman, but the 31-year-old has shown that he can still offer something to the team and the support that maligned him for so long. Giroud, at certain times, is actually a better fit for Arsenal.

That was certainly the case at Southampton on Sunday, yet Wenger only handed the striker 12 minutes off the bench. It’s been like this for much of the campaign. Giroud has fed off the scraps of momentary appearances as a substitute, only called upon when the Gunners are desperate. He deserves more time, more of an opportunity to make an impression. He’s earned that.

Wenger should show more faith in Giroud. Should he continue to leave the Frenchman on the peripheries, he might find that the striker chooses to leave in January. “I have the World Cup at the back of my mind weekly, almost daily,” Giroud explained in an interview published this week, highlighting how he is very wary of his place in the French national team being under threat ahead of next summer. “Each time I go onto the pitch, it's to be more clinical and keep on track for the World Cup.

Didier Deschamps has warned Giroud against leaving the Emirates Stadium, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that he will heed the advice of his national team boss. “During international get-togethers, the coach usually warns me against that," Giroud, who has scored 29 goals in 69 appearances for his country, said. “He has told me the things he wanted to tell me, which is totally logical and I understand. He wants me to play more. If I wasn't able to leave this summer, it was because of the opportunities I had.

“It wouldn't have been good to leave for leaving's sake, but it's certain that eventually, even in January, I'm going to have to ask myself the question again. It won't be easy to find the right solution and take the right decision, but we'll look at the opportunities.”

And so if Wenger doesn’t show more faith in Giroud, Giroud might lose faith in Wenger. The 31-year-old might not be the striker the Gunners need most of the time, but just sometimes, he has a role to play. That role is an important one. Wenger should recognise that.

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