Arsene Wenger has backed Olivier Giroud to play a significant part in Arsenal’s season, although the striker has scarcely featured thus far this season
The Arsenal striker has been an ever-present in the Arsenal line-up for 4 seasons now, but has only just returned from a toe injury. Arsenal have also been playing some fluid football without him in the side, and the emergence of Iwobi and impressive performances of Alexis Sanchez have meant that Giroud will find it tough to break back into the team.
Arsenal have also added to their options up front with the signing of Lucas Perez, which means that a position Giroud had virtually no competition in before this season, has now suddenly become one that he will certainly have to fight for.
Arsene Wenger is confident that Giroud still has a part to play in the side, however, and has backed his compatriot to have an impact this season :
“He is an important player in our squad,” Wenger said. “The squad is not 11, we are 25 players and everybody will contribute at different parts of the season. What sometimes looks permanent in October is completely revolutionised in December.”
According to The Independent, Wenger also stressed that collective success is more important than individual success, and that all his players know that :
“We all have only one target: to be successful together, no matter who it is.”
Giroud has yet to start a game this season, and further added to his own problems after being sent off against Paris St. Germain during Arsenal’s UEFA Champions League tie at the Parc des Princes.
However, he does represent a completely different option to Arsenal’s current strike force, and in the past has been quite effective off the bench. Arsenal’s £17m summer signing Lucas Perez has also been sidelined with injury and has found it hard to break into the team, which could mean that Giroud could still be the second-choice striker.
At 30, the striker might also be at the end of his time at Arsenal, but one thing is for certain – if Arsenal want any measure of success on all fronts this season, they need all their players fit and firing.
