Arsene Wenger appeared pretty smug after Olivier Giroud’s goal against Manchester City but does he have a right to be?
The boss has kept faith in the striker despite him not scoring since January and admitted that he felt justified in that after Giroud finally found the back of the net and also claimed a beautiful assist in our match at the Etihad.
“Olivier Giroud was questioned recently and I’m happy I kept confidence in him because I thought he had a top-level performance,” the manager said to Arsenal Player after the 2-2 draw.
“He was fighting, he had control of the ball, he was finishing and he gave an assist.”
Yes, Giroud has been questioned. Firstly, by people outside the club and more recently by the fans, myself included, and while Wenger may feel justified in sticking by the Frenchman, I also feel justified in my right to question the inclusion of a goalscorer who wasn’t scoring goals.
Unfortunately, due to the fact Danny Welbeck recently returned from a lengthy knee injury, Wenger was, quite rightly, reluctant to overuse the England international, no matter how effective he had been upon his return.
Obviously, that doesn’t appear to have mattered now since it looks as if he’s out for another three-to-six months but that’s beside the point.
This meant that Giroud was continually played even when not scoring. His goal drought highlighted that we do, in fact, need another striker – something I was vehemently against at the beginning of the season. He’s not terrible, far from it, but we need more.