Having revealed he’s been playing with a niggly knee injury since pre-season Olivier Giroud has emphasised the concerns held by many Arsenal fans that Arsene Wenger’s squad is painfully thin in certain areas.
While the French international passed a fitness test on Tuesday and will play against Marseille in tonight’s opening Champions League group stage game, he spoke ahead of the game with the wary tone of a man well aware that much rests on his shoulders in the absence of Lukas Podolski, Yaya Sanogo and Nicklas Bendtner.
“We’re a really united squad and everyone works for the team. That’s good, we have a quality squad but I’m a bit scared about the numbers we have in the squad.
“We will face problems because of the numbers in our squad but we’ll do everything we can to rival the big clubs.”
Aside from the shock opening day defeat to Aston Villa, the Gunners haven’t lost in any competitive fixtures for 199 days – a run which has seemingly spurred Giroud to find top form.
Having scored five goals in six games already, the 26-year-old exuded positivity about his current prowess in and around the penalty box.
“I’m really happy with our start to the season and mine in particular. I had a full pre-season, which wasn’t the case last season when I had more pressure as well.
“I’m in form and I haven’t missed any training sessions, so touch wood that it continues. I eased into the season with some goals in pre-season and it has carried on. It goes hand in hand with the team’s form at the moment.
“This is what we have been missing in recent seasons. We would often be lagging behind at the start.
“But the fact we lost the first game at the Emirates (to Aston Villa) shook us up a bit and we reacted well, we’ve scored a lot of goals. Of course, I would like to score more than last season, more than 17 goals in all competitions.
“Normally my second seasons are better and more prolific in terms of goals. I’m loving it in this team and feeling good. So why not?
“I’m feeling better and better, but I still think I have room for improvement and can do better.”
Fingers crossed the HFB can carry that confidence into tonight’s game…
I’d like to touch his wood…
how embarrasing….
what would your parents say?
Nothing’s wrong with experimenting. That’s how we got penicillin! So go on son! Have a rub , daddy doesn’t mind.
This guy is such a pleasure to watch play. Not is he only great footballer, and incredulously handsome, but he’s so passionate and seems to be really enjoying himself. I might make a little bit the bet for him to finish with the golden boot.
The best thing about this guy which people don’t seem to notice yet is his ability to give sumptuous assists to his team mates, even from last season (Remeber the Wilshere winner against Swansea in the second leg of the Carling cup, Giroud gave the pass). Everybody is talking about Walcott wasting the two clear cut chances that Ozil fed him, meanwhile Giroud also fed him two dead balls in even more intricate positions; and he does that beautifully with his head as well.
And that assist for Podolski’s volley n CL.
Don’t forget Gibbs’ one against Swansea
I’m touching cloth he stays fit.
I see your cloth and raise you ‘tipping the velvet he stays fit’…
You playing turtle bungee again?
“So he sat as I dropped off to sleep, and so he sat when a sudden ejaculation caused me to wake up, and I found the summer sun shining into the apartment. The pipe was still between his lips, the smoke still curled upward, and the room was full of a dense tobacco haze, but nothing remained of the heap of shag which I had seen upon the previous night.”
from the Sherlock Holmes story ‘The Man with the Twisted Lip’ by Arthur Conan Doyle, 1891
So, in the spirit of Conan Doyle:
“Giroud!!!”, I ejaculated as the handsome Frenchman completed his stunning hat-trick against Marseille.
He’s touching wood, I’m touching cloth.
it’s like Sol Campbell in a headlock
Of course he is enjoying himself. He is the HFB.
He is one hell of a guy.. he is forced to remind everyone that he was rather successful last season despite having the RVP cloud over him.
If he stays fit hes on course for a 30+ goals this season and there are only 5 or 6 players in the big leagues who get that sort of return..
Vive L’Olivier
RVP who?
Obviously he’s fit.
Öbviöusly.
Can’t wait to hear the travelling fans screaming “naa naa na na naaaaa” after a clinically-administered Giroud goal from a inch-perfect Ozil pass!
Why the fuck are we only on Sky Sports 4?
And I really like the Ramsey-Song, let’s hope we’ll hear that one too.
What’s Ramsey’s song?
He’s got just the right level of arrogance for a striker, made irresistible by it’s charming Frenchness.
Not only is he scoring goals but he’s really starting to boss defenders too. Is it just me or can he not buy a free kick in the league – refs just never seem to penalize defenders
Wrong there. Anthony Taylor seemed to have no problem penalizing our defenders against Villa. All. Damn. Day.
the general level of refereeing seems to be dropping so low. It’s fucking atrocious
Mmmmm…..Je T’aime Giroud…..xxx
the look on his face
I get goosebumps and look away when Giroud stares at the camera with his deep eyes. *shudders*
Giroud has had a fantastic start to the season and really looks like a top-class striker. The problem I have now is that he may be overplayed by Wenger. With no quality back-up striker, Olivier could find himself run into the ground. He will have to be rested not only for the League and FA Cup games, but also for a few Premier League games too. Shame that we only have Sanogo, TGSTEL, The Invisible Korean and The Winger Who Thinks He’s a striker as back-ups.
and yet Spain, without a recognised striker of world-class quality, are World Champions and European Champions. I mean, who knows how they did that? It surely wasn’t with lots of tricksy little midfielders, fleet of foot, quick of mind, sublime skills aplenty, and no need for a clodding enforcer, only an idiot coach would try that kind of thing and expect to get away with it…. oh, wait Actually I tend to agree with you but probably in reverse. I think it’s the so-called smaller clubs we really need HFB against, as he has certain battering-ram tendencies that will win… Read more »
Spain have no world class strikers?
Ever heard of David Villa? Torres was world class when they won the World Cup. It’s only the passed few years he’s turned to shit.
And while they might not have the outstanding class of the rest of the squad, Llorente, Negredo and Soldado are not bad players either…
I’m yet to see Soldado, Negredo, and Llorente do anything noteworthy.
I think we’d do just fine with one of the younger players filling in for Giroud. Our goals are generally spread quite well throughout the team. Just need someone in that position testing their defenders and we’ll be alright.
The World Cup was the point in Torres’s career that he stopped being world class, they’ve won two trophies in spite of him.
To prevail against top sides with false 9 style tiki-taka we’d (generally) need to be close to being as good at it as Spain or Barca. Hmmm. We need to look after Giroud.
I’m sorry, can we remember that Podolski is in the team? He is not a LW looking to prove himself as a CF. He is not a RW thinking he is a CF *ahem.* He is a proven, tried, and tested CF with 100 caps for Germany, and a glorious career of goals in the Bundesliga. Not to mention he already has a solid partnership with Ozil.
Once he’s off the injury list, I’m expecting him to fill in as CF more than just every now and then. I’m looking quite forward to it.
Could he just stares the defenders on the eyes?
What’s frequently overlooked is the solidity he gives us defending set pieces. We were a basket case at defending corners before he came along
AHA – Podolski is more than a capable backup for Giroud
how long is Poldolski out for? online sites suggested Dec. but now “no return date”
I love that we signed Ozil and what it represents but we shouldn’t stop our tradition of turning obscure players into GREAT Players.
Giroud looks to be the next on the production line. So much more to come from him and so much room for improvement. HE will be the difference in winning something season or not.
Don’t worry, with Arsene in charge I don’t see that tradition stopping anytime soon, and I for one couldn’t be happier about it
Can’t believe our management didn’t sign a reliable extra striker if they knew Giroud was playing through pain. Just so unbelievable a team as big as Arsenal going into a season with only one proper striker nevermind one playing with pain.