Why Arsenal Must Still Drop Boxing Day Goal Hero Olivier Giroud

Olivier Giroud was undoubtedly Arsenal’s hero against West Bromwich Albion. With the Gunners struggling to break down Baggies manager Tony Pulis’ stubborn defence, the Frenchman rose to send a looping header over the outstanding Ben Foster. The Emirates erupted with relief. However, Giroud’s vital contribution should not be enough for him to keep his place in the side. 

Speaking to Arsenal.com about his emotions after the game, Giroud said:

It has been a big relief. We pushed and pushed towards the end, and we kept believing in our game. It’s a big finish, an amazing feeling. It’s nice for us because we always try to find a good solution and we’ve been a bit unlucky recently. Thank God we succeeded.

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I would like to say that we were very strong as a team, with a good, strong mentality and it was very important to win. We have shown a big mental strength once again. 

However, his joy might be short-lived. When Arsenal face Crystal Palace on New Year’s Day, Giroud ought to be back on the bench.

It might sound counter-intuitive to relegate your match-winner to the substitutes’ bench. However, the argument against that suggestion is that had Arsenal started with a more cohesive attacking unit, they might have been out of sight long before Giroud planted his header into the far corner. 

This, after all, was Giroud’s first Premier League start of the season. The fact that the Frenchman, who was Arsenal’s starting centre-forward for the majority of last season, has had to wait until the end of December to be named in the starting XI is quite remarkable. Were it not for the obvious need for rotation over the festive period, one would almost wonder if Arsene Wenger brought Giroud into the side simply to ensure he got a game before 2016 was out.

The fact is that Arsenal have evolved beyond starting Giroud this season. Redeploying Alexis Sanchez through the middle has been the foundation of their success in 2016/17, bringing speed and variety to their attack.

Reverting to using Giroud feels like a regressive step. He offers no threat in behind and tends to be relatively static, focusing on hold-up …

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