Arsenal: Olivier Giroud Getting Wound Tighter And Tighter
Arsenal’s maligned striker Olivier Giroud is having a start of the season to forget and his quick red card against PSG merely winds him tighter
Arsenal has come to rely on Olivier Giroud since he took over the starting striker role back in 2012, but this season is going a bit differently. Giroud has only played 67 minutes and, while his presence is definitely missed, he is digging himself quite the hole in terms of getting this season going in the right direction.
Related: 5 Things We Learned Against PSG
First, it was a bit of off the pitch drama with Giroud insisting that he was ready to play, but Wenger continually benching him. Giroud said that if he had been a priority, than Wenger would have brought him back sooner. His point was well seen, as no other striker could do what Giroud does. The space he creates and the presence he has in the box is irreplaceable.
You know it’s gotten desperate when Arsenal fans are clamoring for Giroud to be brought on, but that’s how it was against PSG. Having played just 40 minutes in the Premier League and amassing no goals.
The game against PSG seemed the perfect opportunity to cut him loose. Giroud has a long history with fans in Paris, as they see fit to boo him simply because he isn’t Karim Benzema, so sticking it to them would have been a priority.
Plus, with the counter attack likely in full swing, Giroud’s presence would have given Arsenal plenty of room to organize. Instead, they had no one at the front and nothing worked.
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Then Giroud came on. The difference was seen but it was clear that Giroud was not humored at all by his late arrival. He wracked up four fouls and two yellow cards in the span of half an hour and just like that, yet again, the Frenchman was sent off. But let’s be clear about something. Giroud was sent off, not because of his fouls, but because of his attitude. And as we later found out, it was Marquinhos who pushed Giroud into Verratti, prompting the scuffle. So an appeal may be upcoming.
Still, the temper was just too much to control and I don’t think it’s at all ridiculous to think that it’s mostly because of how little he is playing right now.
Whatever the case, all this does is wind Giroud up. He’s like one of those toys that you have to wind up to power. Each time his efforts go unfulfilled and his frustrations get built up, he is merely winding himself tighter to the point that he could unleash at any moment.
That moment could be against Hull, if Wenger will allow it to be. Hull is going to sit back and invite the pressure, meaning that Giroud’s brute strength in the box could make him look like Godzilla in Tokyo. Let’s just hope Godzilla can put his headers on net.