Olivier Giroud. Dubbed the 'New Chamakh' by the English press though in my mind, this is far from the truth. I admit Giroud has missed chances that even Chamakh would have taken (no offense to Chamakh) but as player, there is no comparison. Giroud has this ability to unnerve defences. His tall frame and physicality is enough to brush most of the Premier League defenders out of his way. When people talk about his goal scoring drought, what they are forgetting is the quality that Giroud brings to Arsenal. He has a fantastic strike, a good presence in the box and yes of course he can set up goals. When asked on his lack of goals by Yahoo, Giroud replied with a smile,"I had an assist tonight."
It's true, Giroud has as many assists as the flamboyant Santi Cazorla. This is a trait that cannot and should not be looked over. Arsenal have always had creative strikers and Giroud certainly continues the tradition.
Another factor that everyone is missing is the amount of time Giroud is on the field. On an average, he gets about 15 minutes in a game as a substitute. Considering this, the fact that he has a goal and three assists at this stage of the season is remarkable.
The important thing that when Giroud is on the pitch, you know he is on the pitch. Whether he is setting up goals or missing them, at least you can feel his presence. This 'presence' is something that Chamakh lacks and during games he plays, I feel Arsenal only have ten men. As Giroud himself said during an interview,"The goals are coming soon."
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