Olivier Giroud’s Champions League hat trick may backfire on Arsenal
Olivier Giroud kept Arsenal alive in the Champions League with a hat trick, but it may ultimately torpedo the Gunners season
Arsenal fans are in ecstasy over Olivier Giroud’s hat trick against Olympiakos that sent the Gunners forward into the Champions League round of 16. His amazing performance might ultimately back fire on Arsenal fans by convincing the club that they don’t need to purchase a world-class striker in January.
Giroud deserves a ton of credit for his treble to keep Arsenal alive. It would have been easy for him to buckle under the immense weight of public criticism from fans and pack it in. Instead, he’s used that criticism to fuel his continued efforts and it paid off in a big way against Olympiakos. The irony is that his goal scoring outburst might work against Arsenal for the rest of the season.
Most fans and football pundits see Arsenal’s biggest weakness as their lack of a world-class striker. Transfer window after transfer window there have been rumors of Arsene Wenger acquiring a big-name striker only to see Gunner fans disappointed over and over. This January has brought renewed optimism among Arsenal fans that this might finally be the year that Wenger spends big on a world-class acquisition.
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That’s why Giroud’s recent outburst might do more harm than good. The Frenchman was so good versus Olympiakos in a must-win game that even his harshest critics are starting to sing a different tune about the much-maligned front man. Even Arsenal super fan Piers Morgan, once Giroud’s harshest critic, has come around and is now supporting him. If Giroud’s recent play can turn Morgan’s opinion around, he could easily do the same for Wenger and the other decision makers at the Emirates.
Wenger might be fooled into believing that Giroud has finally found form good enough to lift Arsenal to a Premier League title. Arsenal isn’t short on attacking talent overall with players like Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil manning the attacking midfield, so having a world-beater at striker isn’t an absolute necessity for them to score bushels of goals. It’s just this sort of thinking that could get Wenger and Arsenal in trouble.
They can’t start thinking about whether or not they have enough already in the squad to push for a Premier League title. Instead, they should be trying to leverage their resources into building the best team they can. There’s a real danger in thinking that Giroud is enough at striker to win a title. The question they should be looking to answer is whether or not the Frenchman is the best option available. After all, they have the money to push for a big name to play up top.
Olivier Giroud’s masterful performance versus Olympiakos was enough to push Arsenal into the final 16 of the Champions League. Arsenal fans are hoping it wasn’t good enough to convince Arsene Wenger to stand pat at striker for yet another transfer window.