Arsenal FC ai??i?? Olivier Giroud Gluing Arsenal Attack Together

Olivier Giroud has been instrumental in Arsenal FC’s revival. Let’s take a look at the French striker’s impact on the Gunners’ season so far.

Olivier Giroud - instrumental to Arsenal FC's revival this season — Olivier Giroud: the glue holding together Arsenal’s attack.

As Arsenal prepare to visit Old Trafford on Sunday, the general vibe around the fixture is tense. This fixture might have lost the shine that it had in the early noughties, but this could be the first time the two sides are neck to neck, on paper at least. Arsenal’s revival this season has been attributed largely to the transformed Aaron Ramsey and the immaculate Mesut Ozil, but spare a thought for the man leading the line, Olivier Giroud, who has been instrumental to Arsenal being table toppers going into the weekend.

The lack of depth in the striking department was so alarming that even the French striker himself said he would like Arsenal to sign a new one. But all the flirting with Suarez and Higuain in the summer seems to have rubbed on positively on Giroud, who has been nothing short of a revelation this season so far. This season the former Montpellier man has looked sharper, more mature and more relaxed in front of goal. Giroud is still capable of missing the odd crucial chance as he did against Liverpool after being one on one with Mignolet, but this season unlike last he is quick to shake the disappointment off, gather himself and try again. So what is it that makes Giroud such a vital part of this team and do Arsenal still need a new striker come January?

The best thing about Giroud unlike most pure strikers is that he is a team player, a creative hub of his own kind leading the line and bringing others into play. What’s absolutely sensational is that Giroud (0.6) averages more through balls than Mesut Ozil (0.5) per game, not only highlighting his all round game but also underlining his role as a holder for runners to run past. Theo Walcott found himself on the end of some of those through balls last season and was an important reason for the Englishman’s prolific goalscoring form last season. Giroud was always good with flicks and dinks and knock downs, but what he produced versus Norwich is probably impossible to emulate. Last season’s assist for Podolski’s goal versus Montpellier was ridiculous too, but the Norwich flick took it to an altogether different level. Some of the flicks don’t work but then again as is the case with Giroud this season, he will try and try again until it works out. Not much more you can ask from your players.

Like every team and every striker, sometimes things don’t work out and don’t fall on a plate. When strikers don’t get any joy upfield, they drop deep to create something for themselves; but with Giroud it’s about contributing to the general flow of the attack by being a deeper fulcrum. The graphic below displays his passes against Liverpool where one clearly note how deep he drops in order to influence the play. He might not have the passing range of an Ozil or a Rosicky, but he is smart enough to spot the movement of his fellow attackers and keeps them on their feet with a gentle layup or at other times dribbling forward with the runners acting as decoy to relieve him of his marker. The fact that he has combined so well with Ramsey and Ozil in particular is because of the duo’s tireless running.

One look at Arsenal’s second goal versus Swansea shows what we are talking about. Wilshere’s run pulls Chico away from Giroud and as the Englishman lays the ball back to Giroud he is in acres of space and ultimately feeds Ramsey for a goal. The move looked so simple to the naked eye that it was almost impossible to appreciate the panic caused in the Swansea defence thanks to the passing combination between Wilshere and Giroud. However this also throws light on one of the most unspoken attributes of the Chambery-born striker: his movement.

Giroud - Arsenal.com — Giroud passing map vs Liverpool

Genuine lack of pace is never a positive for any striker who is willing to be one of the best in the world, but there is always a way to make up for the pace handicap. Off the ball movements, thus drawing defenders to open up spaces for others, is a quality honed by some of the best attacking midfielders ever. Giroud on his part is slowly learning the art and, as Kolo Toure found out on Saturday, doing quite a good job at it. Giroud made a run into the box and both Toure and Skrtel dropped deep, making that extra square inch of grass available for Ramsey to shoot. Fine margins, but definitely important ones.

The impact Giroud has had on Arsenal’s overall style grows deeper and is very interesting to note. In each of the last 5 matches (Norwich, Dortmund, Palace, Liverpool, Dortmund) Arsenal have scored from crosses directly or otherwise. The presence of Giroud in the box encourages players to cross the ball ai??i?? something unseen and unheard of for recent Arsenal sides. Sagna and Gibbs spend the best part of the game in the attacking half whipping in balls for the Frenchman to create something from. The approach hasn’t been restricted to Giroud alone as crosses have been pinged frequently to cause uncertainty in the opposition defence rather than as a desperation measure or Plan B. Giroud himself is a good crosser, as his crossing prowess resulted in Ozil’s first ever headed goal in professional football versus Norwich. Even on Wednesday night, Giroud also produced an excellent cross to find Ramsey in space, but Weidenfeller came to Dortmund’s rescue.

The defensive shift put in by the Frenchman never goes unnoticed and makes him even more loved by the Gunners’ faithful. Questions remain about his overall quality to be counted amongst the elite strikers in the league and make the cut over a longer period, but not much can be asked from a player than to give his 100% for the team, something Giroud has been doing for Arsenal for longer than this season alone. He isn’t perfect, and under Arsene Wenger, Giroud will continue to improve. And who knows, he could probably soon turn out to be worth the extra pound in a 40 million bid himself.

All stats taken from Whoscored.com and Graphic taken from Arsenal match stats centre.

Tags: Arsenal FC Olivier Giroud

Arsenal FC ai??i?? Olivier Giroud Gluing The Arsenal Attack Together

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