Friday, November 22, 2024

Wenger: Pressure won’t get to Giroud and Ozil

Arsene Wenger says he’s impressed by the way Olivier Giroud has responded to Arsenal’s attempts to sign a new striker praising the Frenchman for getting his head down and working on his own game.

Having failed to land Luis Suarez, Gonzalo Higuain and Demba Ba this summer, the ex-Montpellier man has impressed since the start of the season banging in five goals in seven games to add to his tally of 17 last term.

Written off in some quarters, despite his promising start to life in North London, the boss told press ahead of Sunday’s game with Stoke City that the 26-year-old has an underlying confidence in his own ability which has helped him cope with the pressure of being the Gunners de facto hit man.

“He has a kind of belief, [a] positive mentality that comes out. He has a good self-esteem and that is a very important quality because when you’re a striker you have to deal with a lot of pressure.

“It doesn’t affect him too much when he doesn’t always score. Overall I think he has a very strong mentality.

“Every day when you opened a newspaper he saw another striker coming here but he didn’t say anything.

“For me that’s the best answer you can give when you’re a football player. Don’t talk too much, play and show how good you are. Many people forget that sometimes but that’s the core of your job.”

Reflecting on the improvement in Giroud’s all-round game, Wenger highlighted:

“I believe he has improved technically in his link play and that will come out throughout the season.

“He has a huge physical presence that is very difficult to find these days. This season is a big test for Olivier but I’m sure he will have a great season.”

Talking of pressure, the boss also touched on the challenges facing Mesut Ozil as the German international readies himself for his home debut. Despite signing on at Arsenal for a club record fee of £42.5 million the boss stressed that once up to full fitness his new charge won’t have any problem adapting.

“He is 24, he has over 50 caps for Germany, and when you play for Germany, you are under a lot of pressure. He won the championship with Real Madrid, and that is a club where there is a lot of pressure.

“He has integrated well, and been well accepted. I think he is not at the top physically yet.

“Overall we are very pleased to have him with us, but he will demand a bit of time to adjust to the vigorous body challenges he will face here in the Premier League. Once he has done that, he will be even stronger.”

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InTheArse

Ozil passes to Giroud who scores!! its 11-0 to arsenal against the Orcs

faym

we are allowed to dream

Alex

And dreams are allowed to become reality! COYG

Bonjour

What’s so good about Stoke anymore now that they’re neither a rugby team nor a football team? The “never-say-die” mentality that is better shown in our players like Ramsey Wilshere Jenkinson Flamini Vermaelen?

Arsenal-induced Heart Attack Survivor

The live blog’s up already?!

Grrrrrr

With Ramsey getting 5. One of them ricocheting off Shawcross’s balls onto his ugly face and into the net.

MidwestGooner

As Blogs said on Twitter “I fucking love Ramsey, btw. Every time he does well, a little bit of Shawcross dies.” Couldn’t have said it better.

Orcs though, have no balls.

Maffew

Sounds like a lovely way to round off the first half.

EDgooner4ever

Can’t wait to see how our frontline performs when ozil is up to full speed with cazorla back! COYG!!

goonero

Giroud
Cazorla Ozil Walcott
Ramsey, Arteta
Gibbs, Kos Mert, Sagna
= jizz

DöubleDöubleDöuble

Sanogo
Podolski Rosicky Ox
Wishere Flamini
Monreal Vermaelen Bould Jenkinson

= more jizz

Clock End Mike

Bould? I see what you did there!

C

Eh, Sanogo needs more time before he’s starting for us in any capacity. It’d be better for both him and the team if there was quality experienced backup to Giroud.

Bould's Eyeliner

Podolski
Gibbs Ozil Oxlade-Chamberlain
Ramsey Flamini
Monreal Verm Mert Jenkinson

Some decent rotation there, with an already tested service to Podolski with Gibbs and Ozil… pace on the right with Ox, Flamini Ramsey being worked out right now, and Monreal for the added defensive stability with Poldi and Gibbs on Left.

Pete

That is the line up I would choose.
Though it seems insane that there is no room for Rosicky, Podolski or Wilshere in our team.
Who would have thought that last year!?

Dino B

This is finally our time.

Burn Baby Burn

you misspelled Szczesny there

Arsenal-induced Heart Attack Survivor

Can’t really blame him now, can we?

MRN

Who’s this goalkeeper we’ve got called Jizz, is he any good?

sanku

must be almost like a new signing ??

yz

if Theo starts to convert those through passes from Ozil we’re lethal

yz

& Giroud can keep doing what he’s doing

2013-2014 = 2003-2004

If Theo starts to convert those Ozil through passes then the Golden Boot could be a 3 horse race between Giroud, Ramsey and Walcott!

Zelalem#58

lol, as if Poldi doesn’t have a word to say in this…

Cele

It’s not a dream?!?

Javis

It’s a scary thought for opposition teams when Cazorla gets back and we get real fluidity going between midfield and attack, I am genuinely excited about our options in midfield and attack. We could badly do with one of Poldi or Chamberlain back though, it would make such a difference right now to have them on the bench or starting. Özil looked a little tired against Marseille, probably because he put such effort into the Sunderland game and was ill, I expect we will see the best of him in about 2-3 weeks, he’s still more than capable of winning… Read more »

Bould's Eyeliner

Marseille put some genuine pressure on him as well – then there was the illness, the travelling from spain, to Germany, to London, to France, all within 2 weeks….

kierangibbs'legs

Giroud is going to have an amazing season i swear to bergkamp. He is actually not as slow as people think he is. Time to get clinical HFB.

arsene

team.

chez
sagz/mertz/kos/gibbon
flamin
wiltshere/rambo
theo/giroud/ozzy

neder

who the hell is Wiltshire?

Zelalem#58

where the hell is Santi?

goonerdal

Who is he btw? I hear wenger hasn’t heard anything about him.

Mooro

If he didn’t have a high level of self esteem, imagine how all us ugly fuckers feel.

femi4arsenal

” will he drop physically against Stoke”? i don’t know.

Arsenal-induced Heart Attack Survivor

Haven’t I seen this image before? Oh yes, it has been cobblerswobbled into my memory. Heh.

GunnerJH

When Santi comes back, nobody stop us

can’t wait to see that

AFC

Mr. Blogs, I think that you’re a bit harsh with regard to Flamini’s return. I always felt that this player “belonged” to Arsenal and his recent comments seemingly fit into this. Ok he did leave for a bigger club but: a) his contract expired and b) as a professional wouldn’t you want to see anything else than staying at one (loved) club? His performances have been great, he did “cost” 0£, he is still young and he wants to play for Arsenal. On top of that, he seems like an nice, modest character and, last but not least, played at… Read more »

chamakh

He left for teh money (most people would do the same) – I do not like the whole “once a gooner thing” coming from him. Smirks of hypocrisy and opportunism -> imagine that cunt RVP came back and said the same thing – if anything, I am weary at taking footballers @their own word. Esp those that professionally run down contracts – so fuck off flamster – he is a professional (I accept that), but I do not believe he had (or ever had) arsenal @heart like the likes or parlours, bergkamp or adams

Mooro

Quite honestly, who gives a flying fuck?

He’s here and he’s doing a good job so far, so much so that we’ve hardly missed Arteta, and that’s really all that matters.

If you invest time in the concept of player loyalty these days, or believe what any player says on the subject, you’ll be sorely and consistently disappointed.

Pete

But loyalty to the club is a wonderful notion and it’s what we want and it’s what Wenger wants. I really believe that there are a few players in this team that are proper gooners and will want to stay for their entire career.

For example:
Gibbs, Wilshere, Ramsey, Jenkinson, Szczesny.

People love Heros like that. Like Henry.

Andre

Now you’re setting yourself up for disappointment. Even ‘proper gooners’ may go elsewhere at some point. Like Henry.

the only sam is nelson

I don’t want to piss on your parade, but Ashley Cole was a gooner once upon a time, right up until his agent nearly made him crash his fucking top-of-the-range £75K Range Rover

Anyone who fancies divining the thoughts coursing through the mind of the typical professional footballer these days is probably asking for trouble. But I suspect money might be a tad more prominent than loyalty when it all boils down.

D

At the end of the day, players want to play at the very top level. People will point to players that have stayed at one club all their careers, but this is more down to them not being wanted by the really big clubs, or being at a big club already. Every player has their price. This year the Arsenal re-introduce themselves to the top table of football.

Pete

What about James Thomas who took a massive pay cut to go and help his home-town team (Swansea) avoid relegation into the conference?

There are players like this around.

Obviously Arsenal being a big club helps. I believe people like Wilshere love the club and wouldn’t go for more money to a bigger club.

jäck jäck jäck

It’s obvious to me that Poldi has a lot of love for FC Köln, but he still left them for us, in the same way that Thierry left us but still loved the club. And Cesc as well. Having a lot of affection for a club and leaving are not mutually exclusive. Players have very short careers. Maybe they wanted to try different ways of doing things, different environments, test themselves in other historic leagues and clubs, play with different players or coaches, win other trophies and new challenges – I can’t really hold that against them. You only get… Read more »

Gutbukkit Deffrolla

But he isn’t RVP and he didn’t have anything bad to say about the club. Note too that he never put in a half-hearted effort when he played for us, and never sat on the bench happily earning money without making the effort like some players we have had. We might have reason to have been disappointed when he left but we have absolutely no right to get angry because he saw an opportunity to get a better job in Italy and took it. He’s a professional footballer, not our ex-girlfriend. If we want to have a go at him… Read more »

benbebop

Fellow Gooners, be ready for many decisions to go against us tomorrow. Mike Dean is coming to the Emirates. He hates us, so lets make sure he knows that we are not exactly fond of him either. Make his life a misery.

Pete

You mean on Sunday?

benbebop

Sorry, my mistake.

kelsperry

syz
sagn,per&kols,gibs
ramsy,flami,wilsher
theo,gioud,ozil.
4 stoke game arteta sub-in 4 wilsher if it needs physical,if nt flami 4 arteta..thnk God he’s bck,antispectin carzola&polz

Oh robin

I am unable to decide which is sexier – giroud’s looks or his flicks!!!

WengersNoseHair

Mr Blogs, I must object to what looks like to me a picture of a Jewish ghetto in Arsenal Gentleman’s column for today. Please correct me if I’m wrong. Just my opinion, of course.

Pete

What makes you think that?

Gutbukkit Deffrolla

Hopefully you will learn with age and experience that there are some places you shouldn’t go to when trying to be funny.

WengersNoseHair

So will one of you tell me if it is or is not a ghetto in that pic? I’m quite serious when I say I think it is in very bad taste to think it’s humorous to say Tottenham is like a ghetto. And if you don’t think that’s slightly off humour, then there are still many things you should learn with age and experience.

WengersNoseHair

Nevermind, it’s not a ghetto. My mistake.

riot

Mike Dean is f**king Wanker

2013-2014 = 2003-2004

Mike Dean is a f**king Spuds fan. Bald, cross-eyed, twat-faced lackey. But nothing even he can do anything if we let her rip for 6 goals past the Orcs who are changing to a tiki-taka playing-style under Mark Hughes.

Last year all before Christmas we had 6-1, 6-1, 7-5, 5-2 and 7-3 scorelines. This season after seven games we haven’t really exploded offensively yet. ‘Bout time we started.

I put a cheeky 10ner on 6-1 win at the Emirates on Sunday, at 80-1.

Gutbukkit Deffrolla

It’s only cheeky if it wins. If you lose the bet it has another name.

adeoye

Want we need now is trophy if wanger want 2 have trophy this season we ne a top 9 score that will be just us goal we are already ok with our midfield we need score like henry so wanger should try sign scorer in winter pls arsenal need 2 have trophy this season

deji

Huh? What the fuck are u going on about?

SB

“Every day when you opened a newspaper he saw another striker coming here but he didn’t say anything” – AW

AW should stop reading newspaper & start reading Arseblog News – just the titles!

http://news.arseblog.com/2013/08/giroud-we-need-to-buy-a-striker/

Orc slayer

Just watched the Shawcross tackle again to remind myself.

The no malice defence is bollocks. It’s about despicable, reckless “tackles”, for which he has a history. No matter what anyone says, I will hate him and boo him.

The fact Rambo has done so well in spite of his injury is remarkable, but it could quite easily have gone the other way. And for that Shawcross should struggle to sleep at night.

Let’s DESTROY them on Sunday

goonerdal

it’s not a dream if orcs are in it. it’s a nightmare.

goonerdal

Ramsey so damn good right now, Do you.think Shawcross just seeing him boss it in midfield would be enough for him to bash his own cunty bollocky face in?

Uzo_9ja Gooner

Wtf is wrong wiv that Adeola dude?… Wot with all the typos…plus, he wasn’t even making much sense… Geez!!!*cough* 6-1 to the ARSENAL come Sunday against the Orcs Tho 😉 #COYG

MuchasPlayas

*with *what *though. Those that live in glass houses, shouldn’t throw stones…

masterofthegoonaverse

Every thing may not be 100% grammatically correct when typing away on here, but you have got to be understandable surely?

Uzo_9ja Gooner

IDGAF!!! (˘ᵔ˘)

dc

Off topic..but Arsenal Gentleman really is tedious bollocks..and before it.s suggested – yes i have stopped reading it

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