Over the past couple of seasons Olivier Giroud has been a favourite target of criticism for Arsenal supporters and detractors alike. His seemingly inconsistent finishing in previous years and his at times frustrating antics on the pitch made him an easy target, even if the criticism wasn’t always deserved. Perhaps his biggest fault was simply that he was not Robin van Persie, or any of the other Arsenal strikers to come before him who were known for their deadly finishing.
Even in Arsenal’s recent loss to Monaco in the Champions League, Giroud was one of main targets for abuse. In the scope of one game he was poor, quite poor actually. However, those who view things with a slightly wider lense will know that contrary to popular opinion, Giroud has been playing very well since his return from injury; in fact, Olivier Giroud is leading Arsenal’s latest run of good form.
While he’s certainly not alone in being in great form—Santi Cazorla certainly comes to mind as one who’s playing exceptionally well for Arsene Wenger lately—Giroud’s all-round play has been excellent this season, and it’s a key reason why Arsenal sit just one point off second place and are on a run of five consecutive victories in the Premier League, their best run of the season.
In Arsenal’s current five match winning streak, Giroud has scored four goals and picked up an assist, having started four of the five matches. He’s taken just sixteen shots in that period, and his shot accuracy has been much improved. In fact, while Giroud’s scoring rate is up from last year, 0.61 goals per match compared to 0.44 in 2013-2014 and 0.32 in 2012-2013, his shots per game is down, averaging just 2.72. His shot accuracy is also improved this season, up to 51 percent of shots on target, compared to 43 percent last season.
The reduction in shots is almost certainly down to the addition of Alexis Sanchez and Danny Welbeck, the former being Arsenal’s leading scorer and despite a slight dip in scoring lately, their best all-round attacker, and the later showing an improved eye for goal as of late. The addition of alternative scoring options up front has relieved the burden on Giroud, and led to somthing of a shift tactically as well that has lessened yet more the pressure on him. This season, both Alexis and Welbeck, though starting on the wings, have spent significant portions of each match playing almost as a second striker. This, combined with Özil’s and Cazorla’s form in midfield, has given Giroud more options when he wins the ball upfield.
Whereas last year Giroud would often win the ball in an attacking position and, lacking a team-mate to pass to, take an ill-conceived shot, this season he’s turned creator for his team-mates, completing 1.06 key passes per game (up from 0.81 last season) and creating 1.22 chances per game (up from 1.03 last season).
With the race for the top four in the Premier League so close this season, Arsenal will need Giroud, as well as the rest of the Arsenal attack, to continue their good form. While this recent five match win streak has seen the Gunners climb within a single point of Manchester City in second place, they remain just one point ahead of Manchester United who sit fourth, and just three points ahead of Liverpool in fifth. With fixtures against Liverpool, Chelsea, and Manchester United remaining on the schedule, there is no room for error as Wenger’s men seek Champions League qualification yet again and look to retain their FA Cup crown. Olivier Giroud must continue to lead Arsenal if they want to achieve success.
