Really? Build his confidence? You can do that when we have an unassailable lead, not when you are trying to win a game of football, otherwise it just smacks of desperation. How long have we been going on about the need for top draw striker? I don't want to be controversial, I do think paying all that money for the Chilean (whose name escapes me been a long day and all that... Sanchez) is a luxury. Why spend almost 80mill on 2 players (Ozil and Sanchez) and we do not have a top draw striker? Then again, I might not know much about football....
I think we all need to be honest. Giroud had another shocker tonight. We all know he's not 100% fit but it's worrying how often he goes missing in crucial games. So glad we signed Sanchez and have Walcott coming back because we have some big matches coming up and Girouds record in these games is appalling. He has to improve if we are to win the league.
Aguero wasn't fully fit, look what he did. Higuian wasn't fit for Napoli today either, and look at the goal he scored in their qualifier.
Giroud has had enough chances. He has never gone on a convincing goal-scoring run, that purple patch that happens when a striker settles and starts producing. Wenger seems to think Giroud and Sanogo are sufficient for a title challenge. They are the worst strikeforce in at least the top seven.
Personally there is no point going after Giroud, it's not his fault that we haven't got a new CF. He is a good player and most of the time he will play a significant role in the team. However, we know his capabilities and comparing him to elite strikers like Aguero etc is pointless. We should hopefully compensate with the likes of Walcott and Sanchez up front in the big games, or ones that we are struggling to break teams down in. Giroud nevertheless remains our number one CF unless someone else like Campbell, Walcott, Podolski or Sanogo stake a claim.
Giroud is a good back up / second striker - but not good enough to lead the front line of a team wishing to challenge for the title - you're so close to matching Chelsea and Man City, but you're still a couple of players short.
Giroud is a perfectly decent team player but I thought the entire squad looked pretty jaded last night. The made sloppy passes, missed runs and seemed second to every ball. An unfit Giroud doesn't really bear thinking about as the best part of his game is his work ethic off the ball and it was lacking yesterday. I think as soon as the team is fully fit they'll look far better, OG included so it's far too early to get on his back. Ramsey, Jack and Santi were easily as bad if not worse and nothing is said about getting replacements for them. I'm not saying I wouldn't like another striker - I'd love one, rather that Giroud still has a really important role to play in the team.
Exactly, if anyone hasn't been playing up to their standard its Cazorla and Wilshere. The problem with the CF position is that it's so high profile that if anyone makes the slightest mistake, it gets highlighted to the max. Add to the fact that Arsenal have had a heritage of top quality CFs (Wright, Henry, RVP etc), the CF spot gets a lot of scrutiny. But if anything, its the two mentioned that have played below par with their misplaced passes and lack of penetration. It's still early days and no doubt we will get better and the two mentioned will show their class. But maybe Giroud gets a little too much flack.
I'm not giving any flak to Giroud... he can't help the fact he's utterly mediocre. I'm annoyed and frustrated that AW has money to burn yet STILL thinks players like Giroud and Arteta are good enough to make us title winners.
You're right that we should have gone for a new striker but AW holds a lot of faith in his players and I reckon he thinks that with Giroud, we have Campbell, Pod, Walcott, Sanchez and Sanogo to supplement or stand in. We still have to see what Campbell can do and Walcott is yet to make a comeback. I think we have a lot more cover in the forward spots than ever before. If Campbell hits the ground running and we all know what Walcott and Sanchez can do, then we should have enough cover for Giroud.
It's not about 'cover for Giroud'... it's about having a top class centre forward. We don't have one. Having 19 other players who can theoretically play up front is irrelevant... we don't have one.
But surely saying he's utterly mediocre is giving him flak? Particularly when he scored 20+ goals last season. Surely a more realistic statement would be that "he does a job but isn't good enough" or "is nowhere near RVP, Henry or Anelka in their prime" which Giroud has admitted himself.
Personally I see Wenger has changed the focus of his team after we sold RVP - two of the big criticisms of the team was 1. Over reliance on a single attacker, who if he had a bad day meant we lost, and 2. No physical presence. As such Wenger (perhaps knowing at that time he wouldn't be able to replace RVP with like for like quality), brought an almost false 9 striker to hold up the ball and create chances for the attacking midfielders/wide forwards - like Cazorla and Podolski that he'd just bought, and like Wilshere, Ramsey and Walcott who were all improving their finishing. As such all immediately improved their goal scoring records and we scored more goals as a team. Fast forward and it's the same now, especially with Ozil in the team - when fully fit we have threats all over the park, with Giroud linking up with them and creating space for them, as well as bagging 20+ goals a season himself. Personally I would love a player that does all that And is as clinical as Henry, while having the movement and pace of RVP - but barely any, if indeed there is one out there.
I think you've nailed it on the head. Giroud does what he's meant to do, and that is to feed all our other attacking players. It makes the Sanchez signing more plausible now. When you have two high quality forwards in Walcott and Sanchez operating on either side, it gives them license to run at defenses than actually having to grapple or get physical with opposing defenders. This is what Giroud "the big unit" does, he takes all the hits from the big CBs and brings those two plus Ozil and Ramsey into the equation. The main criticism that Giroud rightfully gets is he isn't clinical enough for a club the size of Arsenal. If the players around him continue to perform at the level that they should and bang those goals in, then Giroud's job will have been mainly done, providing his goal scoring isn't atrocious.
I agree with all the above, and also agree as someone already alluded to, no point in blaming Giroud. Comparing him to the likes of RvP, Henry and Wrighty is pretty pointless. Will he be clinical? I doubt it, maybe if the wide men chipped in with their fair amount of goals, we would not be complaining so much... I guess Spain managed to win the World Cup and the Euros without a decent striker.....
This is like the praise Heskey got when he started for England again a few years ago. "yeah he misses most chances but look at the job he does". Heskey wasn't great then, Giroud isn't great now. Sanchez scored 20 odd last season with a midget up top. Stop dressing up Giroud to be the provider of some service we're lucky to have. Giroud doesn't do the job against top teams.
That's why we really need Walcott back asap. He will be very important for us this season, not only for his goal scoring, but his pace will scare opposing teams and will give us a plan B. It will also allow us to counter at pace (Walcott and Sanchez).
It's a bit over the top to compare him to Heskey. Giroud might not be elite, but he is a good striker. But yes, he has to also score as well as provide, after all its his primary job!
Arsenal's midfield and wide men create numerous chances - its a clinical finisher you need as Gary Lineker tweeted during last night's game.
