Why Giroud is not the right striker for Arsenal? This entry was posted in Arsenal Debate, Arsenal News, Arsenal NewsNow and tagged Dzeko, Giroud on August 8, 2014. Why Giroud hasn’t quite flourished in his No.9 role for Arsenal? by SE Olivier Giroud is one of those capricious ‘Target men’ you will always come across, as a Football follower. In his 70 appearances for Arsenal till date, he has found the back of the net 27 times, and has 11 assists to his name – not bad, is it? And, when Arsenal were flying at the top of the Premier League summit last season, Giroud was playing a pivotal role in Arsenal seeing off those potential banana skins. But Giroud has been that kind of an Arsenal player, who hasn’t quite flourished in his No.9 role. Why is that? Let us not become oblivious to Giroud’s dogged attitude, to keep fighting for every ball that comes his way, and exude the hunger to score goals and contribute to the Team’s success. In fact, if you ask me, Dzeko of Man City can be a bit frustrating to watch on as a spectator, with how he conducts himself over the course of 90 minutes. However, Giroud doesn’t frustrate you, with his lack of work rate, and neither does he shoot waywardly, with the same probability as the Bosnian striker. So if you’re an Arsenal supporter and picture Giroud as Arsenal’s version of Dzeko, you’re being delusional. But let’s get it straight: Giroud is a ‘Target man’, and not a striker. I look at those two roles, in two different ways. A ‘Target man’ is someone who involves in a lot more physicality, contributes to winning more air balls than a classical No.9 ever will, and, ultimately, doesn’t score a lot goals. That should put to bed any underlying conundrum for Giroud not flourishing in his No.9 role for Arsenal. For the brand of Football Wenger’s men exhibit, as part of their Arsenal, Giroud will never be ‘Horses for Courses’ to lead the line for the Gunners. Giroud, for the potential he has, cannot dribble past Terry or Kompany and make them look silly. It’s not his game, mind you. And, we all are of the assumption that Sanchez is a classical No.9, as and when he plays through the center this season. But he’s not a lot different from Giroud, either. He, too, is someone who gets physical, but boasts versatility, which the French striker doesn’t. Sanchez’s versatility can be the only thing that distinguishes his style as a Footballer, compared to Giroud’s one-dimensional utility as a Target man. So there you go folks: It’s the pedigree of Giroud as a Target man that has hindered him from flourishing in his No.9 role for Arsenal. Don’t expect him to get better. But, for that matter, don’t refrain yourself from giving him the plaudits for his dogged attitude and unquestionable work rate. Disclaimer: No disrespect to Giroud, but it’s just an analysis of what the French striker can and cannot do, playing as Arsenal’s center-forward. Suhith
Posted on: Fri, 08 Aug 2014 20:33:01 +0000