مقال طويل من جيرمي ويلسون من صحيفة التيلغراف يتحدث فيه عن أهمية جيرود في تشكيلة آرسنال ... وعنوان المقال مثير للإهتمام .. Forget Aaron Ramsey and Mesut Ozil - Olivier Giroud is Arsenals unsung hero as they top the Premier League Man of the moment: Olivier Giroud is key to Arsenals title hopes Picture: EPA Keep Olivier Giroud fit and firing, so the argument goes, and Arsenal have a team well capable of sustaining their challenge When Arsenal bid £22 million for Gonzalo Higuain earlier this year, it did not look likely to be this way. When they then bid £40 million, plus £1, for Luis Suarez, it looked even less likely to be this way. Yet ask just about any expert on Arsenals growing Premier League title ambitions and, before even Aaron Ramsey or Mesut Ozil, they would tell you that the key man is Olivier Giroud. Keep Giroud fit and firing, so the argument goes, and Arsenal have a team well capable of sustaining their challenge. This analysis, of course, owes much to Arsenals failure to add the world-class striker that had featured so prominently on Arsene Wengers summer shopping list, but is also a compliment to Girouds outstanding form. RELATED ARTICLES Borussia Dortmund v Arsenal: live Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger prepares for symphony as Londoners attempt to maintain impressive away run British interest in Borussia Dortmund no surprise to the men who make the Yellow Wall work Indeed, so much has been made this season of Ramseys dramatic improvement, the strides forward that have also been taken by Wojciech Szczesny, Laurent Koscielny, Per Mertesacker and Kieran Gibbs, that Giroud has rather slipped beneath the radar. Wenger had always regarded Girouds second season in English football as the litmus test and, although even he has been pleasantly surprised by the progress, it is no more than a continuation of a journey over the past six years that should serve as an inspiration to any young player. At the age of 21, Giroud was being loaned out by Grenoble to Istres in the third tier of the French League. He was subsequently sold by Grenoble whose then manager, Mehmed Baždarević, openly doubted whether he was good enough to play at an elite level. While Giroud prepares tonight to play in front of 81,000 fans at Borussia Dortmunds magnificent Westfalenstadion in the Champions League, Bazdarevic was last seen managing in the Qatar Stars League. Girouds redemption began at Tours in the second division of the French league before a move to Montpellier peaked in 2012 with him inspiring the club to win Ligue One and unexpectedly finishing as the leagues top scorer. His subsequent progress at Arsenal has convinced Wenger that he is now one of the best forwards in Europe. Bazderevics rather bleaker assessment was put to Giroud on Tuesday and it was clear that he had not forgotten. I wasnt really mature enough and I grew up step by step, he said. Everything I did on the pitch is my answer for people who wanted to blame me, maybe. But it was a good inspiration for me. I believe in my qualities and my game. So what are those qualities? At 6ft 4ins tall, it would be natural to assume that Giroud is some sort of battering ram forward. He is certainly physically strong but his real value to Arsenal is in the quality of his link-up play. It is what sets him apart from the other striker options in the squad such as Lukas Podolski or Theo Walcott who, despite being more reliable finishers, are far less adept at dropping deep, playing with their backs to goal and bringing others into the game. This is critical in Arsenals fluid 4-2-3-1 system that relies so heavily on the creativity and involvement of four midfielders - and two full- backs - to break forward in support of the main central striker. Girouds touch around the penalty box may never be better illustrated than in the build-up to Jack Wilsheres wonder goal against Norwich when he helped carve open the defence with two deft back heels. The difference with last season is especially the confidence but I have also improved myself in a technical way, explained Giroud. The boss told me that because we work a lot on it at the training ground. For me, its all about concentration, focus, confidence. I had a good pre- season with the team and I did not have the same the last year. Wenger remains adamant that it was never his intention to replace Giroud this summer but simply that he expected to lose Nicklas Bendtner and so be short of strikers. He is still hoping to add another forward in January or next summer. It was maybe a little bit his luck as well that nobody came in, said Wenger. You know at the start of the season you get a chance to show just how good you are. I was thinking always his second season would be the decisive one. We have seen that many times. To adapt to the kind of game we play takes time. I was not too worried when we didnt bring in anybody because I thought he has a chance to develop and as well that he can repeat the games. He is one of the players who always improves and looks to become better. He is showing that in every single game. If you compare his technical level when he arrived to today, he is highly improved. He enjoys now to combine much more. I think from a player who was just thinking, I have to score, he has become a real team player. He fights for the team, he has great qualities and charisma. I am convinced there is a lot more to come from Olivier and that he can convince our fans he is the striker they look for. Two lingering questions still persist. For all his attributes, there are still legitimate doubts over whether he has the lasting quality to join the likes of Luis Suarez, Sergio Aguero, Robin van Persie and Wayne Rooney among the Premier Leagues very best strikers. Giroud, after all, is not especially quick and his finishing can still be erratic. There is also concern at how he will handle the physical toll of playing so many matches. Giroud has had a nagging but not severe knee pain since the summer, yet has already played 19 games this season and started every Premier league or Champions League fixture. If you look at my stats, I am used to playing a lot of games every season with not a lot of injuries so hopefully it will be the same this year, says Giroud. Im OK with my body. Physically I feel really well. Like we say in France, I touch some wood and hopefully I will not get injured. As they contemplate their five- point lead at the top of the Premier League table, Arsenal fans might wish to do the same.. ¤
Posted on: Sun, 17 Nov 2013 20:18:00 +0000
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