Arsenal striker Olivier Giroud scored both goals as the Gunners earned a 2-0 win at home against Middlesbrough in the FA Cup fifth round, and it seems to have gone unnoticed just how much of an impact the French international has had since returning from a lengthy injury.
Giroud, 28, has scored seven goals and made three assists in his last 10 games in all competitions. His two goals against Middlesbrough summed up some of his best qualities. The first was a close range finish that took good movement and anticipation to steer a firm low cross into the back of the net. Bread and butter for the experienced forward.
His second goal was all down to his technique. Giroud volleyed a corner whipped into the near post with ease to double Arsenal’s lead, but such moments of quality are often ignored when the Gunners forward is involved.
Giroud has scored a number of great goals this season, with his long range effort into the top corner against Manchester United earlier in the campaign one of his best of the current campaign. Since his arrival at the Emirates, the Frenchman has scored 49 goals in 115 games.
Despite missing a large portion of the season through injury, Olivier Giroud has returned in the exact same form he was showcasing prior to being sidelined. It’s not easy finding a consistent goalscorer in the Premier League, but for some reason Giroud is never spoken among European’s finest centre-forwards.
Since the start of the 2013/14 season, Giroud has scored more goals than the likes of Edin Dzeko (Manchester City) Marco Reus (Borussia Dortmund), Romelu Lukaku (Everton) Thomas Muller (Bayern Munich), Robin Van Persie (Manchester United), but isn’t regarded by many as one of Europe’s best strikers. He scores and creates a goal every 112 minutes at Arsenal, and is already their second highest scorer this season despite having started only nine league games.
Scoring 34 goals in 69 Premier League starts is no mean feat, and certainly proves the £16M man has been worth the money. Manager Arsene Wenger took a big risk after signing him from the French top-flight, but Giroud’s brilliant in the last 18 months especially has more than vindicated the decision. He promises goals when he plays, and looks perfectly engrained in the Gunners’ philosophy. But still he doesn’t get the praise he warrants. Is Giroud one of the most underrated players in Europe?
