Olivier Giroud may not score 30 league goals in a season for Arsenal as Thierry Henry and Robin van Persie both did. He had an off-day in Arsenal's 1-0 loss on Sunday at Manchester United. But Giroud is proving to be Arsenal's best link player since Dennis Bergkamp and will
Giroud: Arsenal's best link player since Bergkamp
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Giroud has proved throughout his career that he improves significantly in his second season at a club.
In his first season with Tours, he scored nine league goals, then he got 21; with Montpellier he scored 12 and then 21. Last season, Giroud averaged one goal every three games for Arsenal. This term he has one in two and is on pace to get around 18.
Giroud is a deft passer demonstrated when he and Jack Wilshere combined to split the Norwich defense with Arsenal's opening goal in a 4-1 win at the Emirates on Oct. 19. Pundits purred about their one-touch passing that would have made master of the art Barcelona proud. Giroud back-heeled the ball to Wilshere, who returned it to Giroud with a flick of his foot. Giroud then nudged the ball back to Wilshere, who volleyed in, all in a couple of seconds.
Giroud's height also gives Arsenal the option of playing long balls instead of too often trying to pass the ball into the net. He is Arsenal's best header of a ball since striker Alan Smith in the 1990s. In a 1-0 win at Borussia Dortmund on Nov. 6, Giroud seemed to hang in the air before nodding Mesut Ozil's looping cross into the path of Aaron Ramsey, who headed in the winner.
Fans who questioned his abilities and Wenger's failure not to recruit a more typical striker are now willing to look beyond Giroud's goal tally. They sing Giroud's praises to the tune of "Hey Jude" by the Beatles.
Another measure of Giroud's success is that Theo Walcott is no longer talked about as a potential center-forward for Arsenal. Walcott is clearly better on the wing, where his speed hurts opponents and where his weaknesses an inability to play back to goal, limited holdup play and lack of awareness about the positioning of teammates aren't so telling. Not since Bergkamp retired in 2006 has Arsenal fielded a forward so effective all-around as Giroud.
The only big worry with Giroud is that he might get injured, especially since Wenger is so reliant on him. Wenger tried but failed to sign another forward this past summer. That leaves the under-whelming Nicklas Bendtner as Giroud's only backup. A frightening thought.