Arsenal Transfers : Olivier Giroud Under The Microscope

The worst kept secret is out in the open for all to see. Olivier Giroud is officially an Arsenal player, after the much awaited announcement on the club’s official website. The funny thing about such secrets is that no-one really doubts if it will happen, the main question mark is on when. As far as Giroud is concerned, the answer is now.

The French striker is an enigma for most, not knowing what to expect. Will he be the next Chamakh? Will he be a success story like Henry? With expectations and opinions fairly divided among Arsenal fans and neutrals alike, here is THT’s lowdown on Olivier Giroud and what he could add to Arsene Wenger’s team.

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Profile

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Giroud was born and brought up in the foothills of the Alps, in a small town Froges. He had a relatively late entry to the top flight scene, having plied his trade in lower division clubs like Grenoble, Istres and Tours before making the move to Ligue 1. He was voted Ligue 2 player of the year in his last season for Tours and ended the season as top scorer. Montpellier took notice of his exploits and signed him in 2010 for a meager 2 million Euros. Ever since, he has been a model of consistency, scoring goals regularly. He was top goalscorer for Montpellier and signed a contract extension with the club in May 2011. But 2011-12 was to be the breakthrough season for Giroud, scoring 25 goals and thus guiding Montpellier to their first ever title.

As far as international football is concerned Giroud’s late arrival on the scene is entirely down to him being a late bloomer. He didn’t play for any of the national youth teams, thus staying largely untouched by international football. But his meteoric rise saw Laurent Blanc include Giroud in the national squad for friendlies against United States and Belgium. Giroud scored his first goal in a France shirt against Germany, in a 2-1 win for the Les Blues.

Giroud fired Montpellier to Ligue 1 glory

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Strengths

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Olivier Giroud seems tailor-made for the English league weighing 88 kilos and standing 192 cm tall. The Frenchman plays an orthodox number 9 role, spearheading the attack in any formation.

He likes having a shot, and has scored numerous eye-catchy goals from range. Having attempted an incredible 135 shots in 36 matches last season of which 70 were on target, he found the net on 21 occasions. Predominantly left footed, Giroud has scored a fair share of right footed goals too, just like Robin Van Persie. Olivier Giroud is extremely clinical in front of goal, and had a conversion rate of 19.8% by January end (Van Persie had a 19.2% conversion rate by then), before temporarily losing form.

He holds up play excellently, but scores very few headers for a player that tall. Having said that, he is excellent in aerial duels and usually come up on top when contesting in the air. Having been involved in some neat build up play for Montpellier all season, it’s safe to say he is aware of the players around, and makes a lot of key passes during the game. Despite playing only 190 minutes for France in 2012, Giroud has 1 goal and 3 assists, thus showing his tendency to be directly involved in the build up. Being supported by Belhanda, Utaka and Camara at Montpellier, Giroud often chose a lay up or a knock down or a flick on for his teammates, thus being a proper team player.

His biggest strength is his big-game mentality, he popped up with game winning goals in big matches, as his goals against PSG in the Coupe De France and St. Ettiene in Ligue.

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Weaknesses

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Giroud has no real weaknesses, but he does tend to get a little frustrated when things aren’t going to plan. He has appreciable pace, but often his positional awareness isn’t of the highest order, something he will have to work on. The former Montpellier man, has a tendency to stray offside against high backlines and offside traps.

At the age 25 and at a club like Arsenal, he can fine tune these minute flaws and establish himself one of the best strikers in the country.

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What Will He Add To Arsenal?

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Arsene Wenger over the past couple of seasons has slowly evolved Arsenal’s formation from a 4-5-1 to a 4-3-3 to the now established 4-2-3-1. Olivier Giroud fits perfectly at the tip of the attack, leading the line. This is where the mostAi??skepticalAi??of Arsenal fans keep their fingers crossed. Why do we need Giroud when we just bought Podolski? Does this mean the departure of Robin? Is Giroud the direct replacement of the departing Dutch striker? If not, where will the two fit in?

Wenger will look to fit Giroud along with Robin

Firstly, Giroud has not been brought as a replacement for Persie. Secondly, if at all Robin leaves, Arsenal will look to add another striker in their ranks.

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So how Giroud fits in alongside Robin in the Arsenal team?

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Robin van Persie can play in the hole, while Giroud shoulders the duty of spearheading the attack, or change to a 4-4-2 formation to accommodate his two strikers. The former might curb RVP’s goal tally but might show us a new dimension to his game, bringing out the best of both Giroud and Robin as the Dutchman is one of the very strikers in the world who can both create and score goals at will. The purchase of the French striker suggests at a shift in focus from Arsene, now attempting to prioritize strength in-depth. Arsenal have lacked an orthodox striker since the departure of Adebayor to Manchester but the search ends with Giroud.

In the past the likes of Gervinho and Chamakh have arrived in London Colney but have not settled down as per expectations, thus raising obvious doubts over Olivier Giroud. For starters, Chamakh never scored more than 13 goals in a season in his 10 year stint in France, and Gervinho is a dribbling winger, who creates chances for others and isn’t a natural finisher. Olivier Giroud, although a late bloomer has all attributes to avoid such struggles. He offers an altogether different attacking option with his directness to along with the excellent hold up play he offers.

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In the past 3 seasons Giroud has played 111 games, netting 54 times. He averages 3.75 shots per game in 2011-12 and can score all sorts of goals. Of the 21 goals he scored last season, 5 came from outside the box. He can provide a physical presence upfront, shoot at sight and also create chances for his teammates, making him an almost complete striker. Often enough, Arsenal have looked out of ideas with their passing game against teams that set up defensively. Giroud’s arrival could mean a more physical approach, looking to bully the defenders, pulling them apart and thus creating an opening. Olivier will not only give the manager an extra option in attack, but also provide the much-needed unpredictability in the final third.

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Verdict

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Olivier Giroud is another brilliant transfer coup by Arsene Wenger. In a market where even unproven talents cost upto 20 million pounds, Arsenal have now bought two of the best strikers of last season for just 3 million more than that. Coming into the English league from a foreign one isn’t easy, but we expect Giroud to gel in England easily like a fish takes to water. His buddy Koscielny and the rest of the French contingent at Arsenal will make sure he settles down and makes a huge impact.

Comparisons are normal, and just like Arsenal legend Ian Wright, Giroud has entered the scene late. Will he end the trophy drought at Arsenal? Only time can tell. For the time-being expect tap-ins, screamers and a lot of game-winning goals from Arsenal’s new recruit. Late bloomer he might be, but having signed for Arsenal at 25, we can safely say, Olivier Giroud has arrived!

TheHardTackle Transfer Rating – 8.5/10

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Tags: Arsenal FC Olivier Giroud

Arsenal Transfers : Olivier Giroud Under The Microscope

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