Olivier Giroud says Arsenal played like kids at Stoke and warned his teammates they can’t afford to rely on talent alone to win football matches.
Claiming he and his teammates showed a lack of fight in last Saturday’s 3-2 defeat at the Britannia, the Frenchman underlined that the whole squad are united in the face of deserved criticism and determined to put right their costly mistakes.
“Talent is not sufficient and every team needs to fight to be competitive,” Giroud told the Daily Mail.
“We had a lack of commitment and we have seen it on the video and we made mistakes like we are young players. We have seen it but we want to learn from them and not do it again.
“We know that we are strong, we have a good squad, that we have a lot of qualities in the squad but without sometimes commitment. And maybe when you are not at 100 per cent sometimes, then you pay.”
A first hand witness to the abuse arrowed at Arsene Wenger as the squad boarded their train home, Giroud says he was ‘sad’ for the manager making clear that his compatriot did not deserve to be singled out for criticism.
“We heard the people, the supposed Arsenal fans criticise some of us, especially the boss. It was sad. I’m not sure he deserved it. It’s always like that when you lose a game. You have to question yourself of course. But you can’t say we have to change everything. He is the man of this situation and we aren’t even wondering if he is or not.
“We will show solidarity and answer on the pitch. It gives us more strength to fight together. We are a pack and when someone attacks the pack everyone wants to defend our interest and our team-mates, our boss.
“We are all together. It was a really bad start at Stoke, especially when you are aware that we’re going to have a lot of duels in the air. It’s even more disappointing but for fans and for us, we will bounce back as soon as possible. We have a great opportunity to do it at home against Newcastle. We want to reach the top four as soon as possible.”
Obviously we made a decent start of rebuilding momentum on Tuesday night, now we’ve got to carry that into tomorrow’s massive game with Newcastle. Given the number of injuries we’ve got, and the run Pardew’s men are on, it’s not going to be easy at all.
Well said HFB
Now do it tomorrow like you did it last time. I’d love another 7-3. Good for my health
I was born and live in Newcastle, my friends and family are all Newcastle fans. It’s my 29th birthday tomorrow and my entire Saturday team as well as a handful of friends are all out for the game. If there is one game we (more specifically, I) can’t afford to lose it’s this one.
If however we do, you won’t see me baying for blood or scrapping on the floor, I’ll support the team and wear my 05/06 Highbury 1913 strip with pride.
I’ll be wearing my “some you win, some you draw” t-shirt
That “but without sometimes committment” gets me though. I never had the feeling that Pires or Henry or LJundberg were lacking in that department. Sigh
I had to come back here and thank you (HFB) for doing it like you did it last time. 2goals. 1 headed. 1 clinical. I just enjoyed that.
Funny enough he was one of the players that was for sure lacking it.
being lacking, and having knowledge of the fact are not mutually exclusive concepts
Indeed they are not. But it is a bit tedious coming from the man who ballooned his chance – again.
I am tired of Giroud. He hasn’t earned the right to hold forth like this. Its just more piss and wind.
He got a good shot, however I don’t really see him as a choice above Podolski, who in my honest opinion got the capacity to become just as good as the dutch skunk was for us. But he will never get an honest chance playing in the centre. Where his best performances came for the german national team.
also giroud holds up the ball very good and are reliable in that aspect. However he is kinda slow, and when he has a bad performance it is just horrible.
Said this the last time too. Giroud would not get into Manure, city and chelshit’s first 11.
He definetly would not get in to either of those teams, I’ve wanted Arsene to go out and buy a real world class striker since the dutch skunk left. But let’s be realistic, he will not do that.
Giroud is not world class, but he is not as bad as some people would suggest.
He wouldn’t have got in any Arsenal team in the last 25 years either
In other news…
I keep f*king losing on Fifa due to corners. Fuck you ea
I will say one thing, ‘we made mistakes like we are young players’ is very true about our defensive unit. It was because they are young players.
Yes, but Per is not young player, he has load of experience and at the moment he is our captain, he had to lead the young players helping them at any moment trough out the game, all he did was hide behind them nad played shit, I completely agree with carragher statement he gave about per game vs stoke.
He is our captain and has to be a leader in this difficult time with many injures especially in defense.
There are so many things that an older head next to you can help with, however when you have two youngsters playing right next to each other and put under pressure right from the off, you can have Franco fricking Baresi as the other defender and he wouldn’t have been able to stop half the mistakes.
Honestly, it would have been better if Koscielny was the fit senior CB as he could just clear up after them, but the clusterfuck at the back only reflects slightly badly on Per.
I don’t say the young players needed to play flawlessness game because per is leading them, they are young of course they can make a mistake, but i didn’t understated the game per was playing he was the absolutely awful that day, he didn’t tracked any one he didn’t block any one or try to win a duel or block shots, that is what annoys me, because we had young players in defense especially against tough game against the orcs, he needed to be everywhere trough him self where none trows to win duels and balls.
Oh. Ok.
He’s never gonna be able to do that, he’s not quick enough to charge around and stop that shit. He wasn’t great against Stoke (no-one at the back was) but he really wasn’t the problem either.
Scopje
But when has Mertesaker in any of the ‘crisis’ games ever appeared to lead. Whatever his qualities, captaining in a classic sense does not see to be evident.
FA Cup semi final vs Wigan last season.
Great talk. Now lets walk the walk. 3 points are yours to take
Giroud has been out all year so here come his “learn from our mistakes” quotes. I’m sure like Mert and Arteta he’ll stop after it happens 3 more times.
Top 4 the summit of their ambitions pahhhhh
This sums it all up during the recent years: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=znobkQ43BeE
#WengerOut
two more years of this shit, can’t believe it..
I like the “supposed” fans jibe. It’s not that I don’t think fans have a right to be annoyed with individuals at the but I do think there’s a way to go about it with more decorum than some of us are guilty of. I’m not sure why but the emirates atmosphere ( away games are noticeably better ) is always so tense and underwhelming ( though I’ve only been personally to cup games ). I’ve got alot of admiration for fans from germany and turkey who actually turn up to sing and cheer and shit even if their not… Read more »
Its this bit that worries/saddens me –
“We are a pack and when someone attacks the pack everyone wants to defend our interest and our team-mates, our boss.”
If the team end up building a pack mentality against fans then what’s the fucking point any more. This isn’t a dig at anyone, just a sad reflection on modern football I guess.
If the team has to build a pack mentality against the fans, that’s not the team’s problem. It’s the fans’ problem. Those fucking idiots at Stoke Station may well have done more damage to Arsenal than anything else this season.
Can you even call them “fans”, when all they do is abuse the team?
“Can you even call them “fans”, when all they do is abuse the team?” They support the team passionately as you do…no one is abusing the team in the manner you keep implying. No one. Making a valid complaint does not make them a non-fan, a lesser fan and you a classier fan. That whole construct has become tiresome. You decided anyone voicing concerns is now the equivalent of the numpties on the platform at Stoke. Yet, the fans voicing their concerns with the club are not attacking other fans. You on the other hand are constantly running other fans… Read more »
No, Arsepedant did not decide ‘anyone voicing concerns is the equivalent of the numpties on the platform at Stoke’. Arsepedant only spoke directly of said numpties, on the platform at stoke. And if ‘no one’ is abusing the team, what exactly WAS that at Stoke? I’m sorry, but you cannot degrade the coach right in front of the squad that believes in him, and tell a young player to get out and say it’s not degrading the entire squad. It is. If it’s coming straight from the squad -Aaron Ramsey, Giroud, etc. in public statements, then it is. And fans… Read more »
I would prefer that Giroud et all used that pack instinct to play as a TEAM and do whatever is necessary to win the game tomorrow. That should suffice,.
Heard it all before. That’s why they get stick! Bloody hell….
HFB – please play like you meant what you said. Well you’re at it, more goals please! Thanks in advance!
i think once Walcott is back Giroud and the whole team will be much better. imagine this lineup:
_________Giroud__________
Alexis____Ozil____Walcott
you have pace and goalscorers on both wings, you have a big strong Striker to link up play, and you have a pass master in Ozil to find the wingers. a good and balanced yet attacking lineup.
Welbeck is a better striker than Giroud. Giroud’s miss against Stoke changed the course of that game.
I have heard enough from this guy. I have no interest in what he has to say.
Welbeck
Alex Oxlade Chamberlain – Alexis – Theo Walcott
Ramsey/Wilshere – Khedira/Schneiderlin or anyone.. (If he does not buy a dm or a cb in the january window the man got to go.)
Gibbs – Koscielny – Mertesacker – Debuchy/Chambers
Wojciech
That is a pace attack that can hit any team on the counter. Just like we had when the likes of Thierry Henry was at the club.
Yay another lesson learnt. Good job this is the first time in 18 months where we’ve been handed our arse at ht
Giroud less talk and more action. I had high hopes when you first came to this club due to your performances in your last season at Montpellier. However you came to arsenal and had an average first season and claimed it was better than henry and van rapist’s first season. I found it embarrasing that you’d compare your first season to that of a 21 year old van persie. Henry at 22 had a better first season than you did. I also didn’t the fact that you never wanted arsenal to sign a striker to challenge you directly, rather you… Read more »
Think Debuchy will have to come in at Cback next to Metersecker. It will lend support to Bellerin at RB and Matthieu’s experience at Newcastle maybe invaluable to Per picking some of their central players up. Gibbs hopefully can start as we will need Flamini in the middle. Interesting to watch Sissohko. Auclair on the Arsecast made a great point that he is like a Swiss Army knife of a player and could be a solution to both our lack of a Cback and injury issue at DM. Will not be cup tied and won’t cost quite as much as… Read more »
So you know… even when we *do* draw a giant in the CL this Monday, with the games in February, we can put out this lineup:
Giroud or Welbeck
Alexis Ozil Theo
Ramsey
Arteta
Gibbs Per Koz Debuchy
Unlikely given our injury record, perhaps, but there be some big guns in there – “giants enough”
I’d say, that collectively have a lot of experience, and that can do some damage.
It’s short of a Real Madrid or Barca or Bayern class, but it ain’t at all bad.
Lewandowski
Ribery – Götze – Robben
Schweinsteiger – Alonso/Martinez
Alaba – Boateng – Benatia – Lahm
Manuel fucking Neuer.
Some big guns in that one too.
+ Pep Guardiola (Who’ll read us like a book)
It is 4th this season again, get over it. We won’t have a run in the CL. Look at wenger’s record against good clubs lately. It is absolute shambles.
Um, didn’t he just say ‘short of a Bayern’?
At least read the comment.
and how is that ‘short’ of bayern? It is not even near bayern class
http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/arsene-wenger-admits-mathieu-debuchy-4801237
And wenger lovers says he has not lost the plot?! 24 hours for debuchy to practice, will he be a regular cb afterwards like you did with monreal? Go and buy a defender in january, plz.
Are we short on center backs? I hadn’t noticed. I guess I need another 14,000 hack articles and 357,000 comments to tell me what is what.
Excellent analysis
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9n8w9gKXpK4
I’m going to enjoy me an exciting football match, supporting the club I love and the players, coaches, and manager I admire.
COYG!
The post is about HFB.Can the #WengerOutBrigade wait for an actual post on Arsene? These people are like virus, spreading negativity everywhere.
I support the team and whoever is managing the players, everyday.
Hoping for the three points today. COYG!