25-year-old Olivier Giroud is going to bring a lot more to Arsenal than just goals.
The signing of the Frenchman, which was officially announced on Tuesday by Arsenal, may have you thinking, huh, another forward?. Yes, Arsene Wegner already signed Lukas Podolski and yes, Robin van Persie, contrary to popular belief of anyone who doesn't support Arsenal, is still a Gunner.
But don't discredit the notion of versatility, depth and simply the fact that Wegner is proving to van Persie he is ready to pay for a competitive squad.
Let's take a further look at what exactly Giroud means for Arsenal.
Bye bye Bendtner
With Giroud, Podolski and van Persie all suited up, there simply isn't room for Bendtner, who has had mixed results during his time with Sunderland.
In 25 starts (28 total appearances), the Danish forward netted just eight goals and gave out five assists as the Black Cats finished 13th in the league.
Bendtner is, of course, coming off a terrific Euro Cup performance in which he scored twice and assisted once in just three appearances, but nonetheless, his time at Arsenal appears to be up.
There just isn't room for him to see as much time on the pitch as he would like, and while he provides good depth, Wegner and company would be better served letting him go.
Versatility
Arsenal tends to score most of their goals via the ground. Play possession football, build up through the middle, play through balls, take advantage of fast-break situations, that sort of thing.
What they don't necessarily do well is create goals off of corners or crosses from the wings.
That's just not van Persie's style, as suggested by his 0.7 aerial wins per game (just 28 out of 95 total, or 30 percent), and Podolski (0.2 per game) certainly won't help in that area.
The six-foot-three (1.92 m) Giroud, on the other hand (or head), most certainly will. During this season with Montpellier, the Frenchman won 3.7 aerials per game and 70 percent of the available headers.
Those numbers are fairly insane.
He's not strictly an aerial threat. He scored 21 goals in 36 appearances, and those didn't all come from headers, but he adds a dimension to Arsenal's attack that has seriously been lacking in the past.
What happens with RVP?
While many people suggest the signing of Podolski and Giroud mean van Persie is on his way out, I'm willing to argue it means the complete opposite.
Wenger is clearly proving to van Persie he is ready to bring home some silverware, and for a player who can go to any team and get any amount of money, that's going to be a huge factor.
And it's not like two new strikers drive the Dutchman out of the lineup. While RVP spent most of his time up front for Arsenal, it's completely reasonable to expect him to play an attacking midfielder role right behind the central striker.
Someone who scored 30 goals and assisted nine times in 38 appearances isn't just going to suddenly be driven out of the lineup.
Giroud and Podolski simply give him extra help and add much needed flexibility to Arsenal's attack.
Win-win.
Logan Morrison Mike Stanton Josh Bailey Mark Eaton Trent Hunter Andy Hilbert
No comments:
Post a Comment