The Situation
Whilst Olivier Giroud has faced little competition for his place in the past, with Arsenal in the middle of a tricky run of games a burnout must be avoided. Certain sections of Arsenal fans have been calling for Yaya Sanogo to replace him in the starting lineup since the youngster’s return from injury.
The Decision
Sanogo has started three games all season and made three substitute appearance, yet to score a goal. However, he has shown glimpses of real promise and has held his own in matches against the likes of Liverpool. Olivier Giroud has had something of a breakthrough season but with key chances missed and personal life issues which Cicero would’ve been rubbing his hands at his Arsenal future remains under question. He suffered something of a burnout before Sanogo took over against Liverpool and Bayern but his two goals in Arsenal’s FA Cup win over Everton should re-kickstart his season.
The Verdict
It is a matter of context. Arsenal face two very difficult games away at Chelsea and home to Manchester City. In between those is what should be a much easier home game against Swansea City. Whilst Arsenal’s firing midfield have been able to cover for some of Giroud’s mistakes and have helped his strengths flourish, he needs to be firing on all cylinders for the rest of the season should Arsenal want to win the double, but in particular for those two matches. Should Wenger be able to rest Giroud and start Sanogo against Swansea without dropping points it would be considered a genius move. Sanogo, whilst showing real promise in certain games, is not yet proven and it would be unfair to thrust such a young man into a title challenge. It seems that Sanogo should be used sparingly to provide relief for Giroud, but the Frenchman is the man to lead the line for the time being.
Your Verdict
We regularly pose the same question to our @AFCModiOperandi followers and include some replies in our articles – if you are interested in having your comments in our articles, follow our account and reply to our questions marked with #AFCMO. This is what you had to say about the Giroud vs Sanogo situation:
@TC1168: if I’m being honest neither. Sanogo is too raw and Giroud is not clinical enough in the games that matter.
@AneeshChandoke: Will start Giroud because of his better hold up play & lay offs. He needs to work on his passing though.
@lee_oulds: I’d prefer Sanogo. He seems more likely to ruffle the feathers of defenders. Seems more physical than Giroud.
@FalseWinger7: Defiantly [sic] Giroud, in the Everton match Sanogo played and he didn’t really get involved. Giroud came on and changed the game.
@richards_real: I like the idea of Giroud being used as an impact sub but he has to start ahead of Sanogo in most circumstances.
@prettygooner: I would prefer Giroud starting off the bench… He tends to be dangerous that way…
@papah_obi: Sanogo because we all know what Giroud’s story would be against Chelsea.
@AkJackson3: it depends on the game.
@Arsenaldo14: None of them. Poldi!
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