Gunnerblog

Southampton Preview: Today is about far more than Olivier Giroud

395 comments September 15th, 2012

Olivier Giroud has started just two games for Arsenal.  He has had just two noteworthy chances.  And yet already there is talk of him being ‘under pressure’.  Football has truly never been quite so hysterical and reactionary.

I won’t deny he could go with a goal.  The way he struck his wayward efforts against Sunderland and Liverpool suggested a player hurrying his shot in order to accelerate his adaptation with a first strike in Arsenal colours.  What he needs is composure and confidence.  That will come with time and, of course, goals.

There is a growing sense of expectation that journey will begin against Southampton.  By an odd quirk of fate, Ian Wright, Dennis Bergkamp and Thierry Henry all opened their accounts against the Saints, and a home game against a newly-promoted opponent does seem likely to offer up at least one presentable opportunity to our primary centre-forward.

Should be score, I’ll be delighted.  Should he not, I’ll be completely fine with it – as long as Arsenal win.  It’s clear that Arsene’s transfer policy this summer was largely dictated by a need to spread goals around the team after Van Persie’s departure.  He is hoping for Cazorla, Podolski and Giroud to match the Dutchman’s tally over the season collectively.  He will help do that over the course of the season, whether or not he gets off the mark today.

The only important prize is victory, and anyone who saw Southampton play against City and United knows they’re not likely to roll over without a fight today.  Much has been made of the fact that our defence have conceded as many goals as Giroud has scored, but I think we’ll be tested by a side who play, quite rightly, as if they have nothing to lose.  In the likes of Lallana, Lambert and Ramirez they have attacking talents who can cause us problems.

I expect the defence to be unchanged.  Laurent Koscielny is fit and raring to go, but how can you justify dropping Per Mertesacker after his start to the season?  The same could arguably be said of Vito Mannone, but the fit-again Wojciech Szczesny is sufficiently senior to the Italian to guarantee his inclusion.

I’d like to go on record and say I think our defensive excellence has been somewhat overstated in the early part of this season.  Just as us conceding ten in the first three games of last season was anomalous, the three clean sheets could be a similar statistical oddity.  It will take a longer run of consistency before I declare that Steve Bould has replaced the current back four with clones of our well-drilled mid-90s heroes.

Anyway.  In midfield, Abou Diaby’s muscle problem is almost certain to be rested ahead of sterner tests against Montpellier and Man City.  Arsene Wenger then has several options to replace him in midfield, notably Coquelin, Ramsey, or a repositioned Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (about whom he speaks with customary enthusiasm here).  My hunch is he’ll opt for Ramsey.  Coquelin’s defensive nous shouldn’t be required with Arteta in the side, whilst Oxlade-Chamberlain’s 120 minutes for England could see him rotated to the bench.

Upfront we all expect Podolski and Giroud to make up two components of the attacking trio.  I’ve got a suspicion that the third element could be Gervinho.  Unlike many of his team-mates, the Ivorian only played one game during the international break, picking up a goal and an assist against Senegal.  Add this to his impressive pre-season displays, and I think Arsene might be tempted to throw him in.  Theo Walcott is only expected to make the bench after a bout of sickness earlier this week.

It’s the first game this season I’ll be able to attend in person, and I can’t wait.  A win would be fantastic, and a goal for Giroud the icing on the cake.  But let’s not forget, cake is pretty delicious, icing or no icing.

I want some cake.  Come on Arsenal.

Countdown to the new season: Giroud’s fee; Podolski’s performances

157 comments June 30th, 2012

Hello all.  As Euro 2012 hurries to a close, a new reason rapidly approaches.  In little over a week, Arsenal’s players will be back in training.  A fortnight today we have our first pre-season fixture: two 45-minute games against Southampton and Anderlecht at St. Mary’s Stadium.  It’s all tantalisingly close now.

Germany’s elimination on Thursday night means Arsenal’s interest in the competition is officially over.  Lukas Podolski and Per Mertesacker will go on holiday now, and return in time to join Arsenal on their trip to the Far East at the end of the month.

Whilst Mertesacker did not play a minute of competitive action during the tournament, ousted by Hummels and Badstuber, Podolski was recalled for the semi-final, only to hauled off at half-time, prompting criticism in both Germany and England.  I don’t think Arsenal fans need worry: the Podolski we saw at this tournament was shackled by a very disciplined system.  He played more as a left-midfielder than winger.  At Arsenal, the wide forwards are given more freedom to come inside and roam, and I think that will suit him down to the ground.  International football is known to be a more compressed game, with less space for attackers, and I think that is reflected in the relatively disappointing showings from some of the continent’s leading strikers – including our own Robin van Persie.

I’m still looking forward to seeing him in action next season.  Arsenal are in the unfamiliar position of having completed their major incoming transfer business ahead of pre-season.  I’m sure I’ll get flak for saying this, but I don’t foresee many big names arriving – despite what you may read elsewhere about Yann M’vila.  When you look at the squad, I just can’t see many gaps that require filling.  There are two obvious exceptions: we probably need a goalkeeper, and would hypothetically need to further strengthen the attack if Robin van Persie departs.

If the Dutchman were to go, it’d be too great a burden  to rely solely on our other new boy, Olivier Giroud.  On the subject of the Frenchman, my understanding is that the release clause we met to snare him is €13m rather than €15m – quite the bargain.  The player himself has admitted he rejected the advances of Chelsea, and can’t wait to get going in red and white:

“It is incredible for me. To already be a champion in France [with Montpellier], then play for Les Bleus, and now Arsenal.

I repeat myself, but this is a beautiful story. When I was little boy, I wanted to play in the Premier League. My heart has always looked for Arsenal.”

Not long to wait now, Olivier.  And not long for us fans, either.

Giroud signs: A good piece of proactive business

967 comments June 27th, 2012

And so, Arsenal have confirmed the signing of France forward Olivier Giroud.  It’s not yet July and we’ve already completed two major transfers.  This is unusually proactive behaviour from Arsenal.

Arsene Wenger, who has made plenty of unofficial statements about the player already, officially said this:

“We are delighted to have secured the signing of Olivier Giroud. He has a very good physical presence and is exceptional in the air, with a great work ethic. We are excited about Olivier joining us and he will add an additional dimension to our attacking options next season.

He has proved that he is capable of performing at the top level with club and country, and we saw what a big influence he was in Montpellier’s championship-winning side last season. We all look forward to Olivier joining us and seeing him play in an Arsenal shirt.”

Giroud himself, meanwhile, is clearly delighted to have signed.  Presumably it was the player’s strong desire to make the move that saw this deal tied up relatively quickly:

“I am delighted to be here at Arsenal and to be part of one of the great teams in English football. It’s a huge satisfaction to join this great club and it’s been a dream since I was young to play in the Premier League.

I was attracted by the philosophy of football and Arsène Wenger’s ‘touch’ at this club. I have always admired Arsenal with its great history and reputation, and I now hope to achieve great things here. I’m very proud to be a Gunner and I will give my best for all the Arsenal fans.”

We owe a debt to Giroud’s France and former Tours team-mate, Laurent Koscielny, who doubtless helped convince him of the upside to joining Arsenal.  We were aided too by a very reasonable release clause in Giroud’s contract, pricing him at around £13m – not bad for the top goalscorer in Ligue 1.

This remains a big step up for a man who was playing football in France’s second division a few years ago, but Koscielny has shown such a transition can be managed with talent and hard work.  A quick glance at Giroud’s career record shows 93 goals in 216 games – not bad for someone deemed a slow starter.

He certainly has the qualities to make an impression in the Premier League: he’s tall, powerful and good in the air. His adaptation will probably be helped by the fact that he seems an intelligent guy: at Tours he was also undertaking a university degree, and made an impressive stand against homophobia in football whilst posing for a gay magazine.

Of course, there will be further question marks over how this signing relates to the future of Robin van Persie.  The pair do share certain similarities: they both prefer to play in the central striking role, are both left-footed, and both enjoy taking the keeper by surprise by striking the ball early – often on the volley.  However, I don’t take either Giroud’s arrival – or that of Lukas Podolski – as confirmation that RVP is off.  Both signings were necessary to improve upon the efforts of Chamakh, Gervinho, Park and Arshavin last season.  Both could play with RVP, and provide backup artillery if necessary.  If, however, the worst comes to the worst and Van Persie is sold this summer, at least we’ve begun the job of replacing him a good while before 5pm on transfer deadline day.

We’re taking more control of our fate, and not letting one player determine our entire summer transfer policy.  Makes a change, that.

Giroud on his way in; The Crab scuttling behind

293 comments June 22nd, 2012

When even Arsene Wenger is prepared to talk publicly about a transfer, you can be pretty sure it’s a done deal.  Yesterday, in an interview with TF1, he confirmed that France striker Olivier Giroud is “90%” certain to be an Arsenal player next season.  Arsene continued to eulogise over his forthcoming signing, saying:

“I think he has exceptional potential and will integrate very well in our collective and our way of playing. He’s a real team player and knows how to combine with other players and I’m sure he will do well with us.”

He also had some positive words for Lukas Podolski, who is likely to start for Germany in their Quarter-Final with Greece tonight:

“Podolski did a great job for the German team, he has superb team work. He plays in a cautious way sometimes, but he’s still scored a very important goal against Denmark for his 100th cap.

I am very happy with what I’ve seen from him.”

He sounds like a kid on Christmas morn who can’t wait unwrap his new presents.  Arsene loves signing a striker, and next season he’ll have some proper ones to play with after a campaign making do with Chamakh and Park.  Hopefully he’s corrected his error there, and these strikers are ones actually capable of both playing matches and scoring the occasional goal.

Of course, I can’t help but notice that at a time when the future of Robin van Persie is in so much doubt, we’ve bought two left-footed strikers.  The other day Arsene bet a reporter an ice-cream that RVP wouldn’t sign for Juve – hardly ‘putting his house on it’.  It would be quick to put two and two together and infer the worst.  However, there’s no point worrying: if Robin signs a new deal, we’ve got a terrific set of strikers.  If he goes, at least we’ve begun the job of replacing him, avoiding the horror of a last-minute trolley dash.  And if he stays and sees out his deal, that will give the new boys plenty of time to settle in, and for Arsene to assess what further action might need to be taken.

By the way, that distant fanfare you can hear is not a premature welcome for Giroud, but one heralding the return of Denilson.  I can already see an orderly queue forming at the club shop as fans wait to get their new shirt printed with his name.  Not his squad number, though, as he doesn’t have one.  If Denilson does return I can only imagine it will be for a short while, with Spain a probably destination – although the Spanish club that showed most interest for him last summer have since been relegated.

We might just be stuck with him.

THE OX T-Shirt: Unleashed. Get Yours Now.

547 comments June 14th, 2012

Anyone who saw Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s performance against France will confirm that to him, such a challenge is merely a red rag to a bull.  

Or should I say OX.  

He simply attacks it, with Pace, Skill, & Power.  Lots of Power.

THE OX has been unleashed.  Now get the shirt.

Graphic by North Internet

Only 150 of these shirts have been printed, so move fast and click here to get yours.  Alongside the tees, we’ve gone for something new to the store, which is both ideal for our inclement British summer and fits the Chicago Bulls-influenced design: a very limited number of sweatshirts (see right).  Only 20 have been made in this initial run.  They’re rarer than an appearance from Park Ju-Young.

If you want to support The Ox at the Euros, but can’t bring yourself to buy a shirt also worn by John Terry, then I might go so far as to suggest that this could prove a viable alternative.  Never mind Three Lions: We’ve got The Ox.  Anyway, hope you like ’em.

In other news, it seems the potential signing of Olivier Giroud is creeping ever closer.  Arsene was loathe to talk about the subject on TF1 last night, but when pressed he eventually said, “nothing is decided”.  He’s right – nothing is decided, and nor will it be until Giroud returns from the Euros.  Despite that, we do seem his most likely destination.  I was chatting to my brother, the esteemed @char1ie_m (worth a follow if you enjoy transfer-talk and informed football chat), and he made a great point: this signing is a big test for Arsenal’s primary French Scout, Gilles Grimandi.  Ligue 1 was once a very happy hunting ground for Arsene.  However, in recent years we’ve seen Koscielny, Chamakh, Gervinho and Park arrive, and of those I would argue that only Koscielny could be deemed a success.  Let’s hope that in the event of his arrival Giroud replicates the effort of his friend and international colleague.

Last night two existing Arsenal forwards, Robin van Persie and Lukas Podolski, took to the field as Germany met Holland.  Van Persie may have netted an impressive strike with a swing of his chocolate leg, but Podolski will be the happier man this morning after his side took the three points.  I have to say, I think the criticism of Van Persie’s performances in this tournament has been a little harsh.  I, for one, hope he can turn it around and knock a couple past Portugal to give Holland a fighting chance.

Our most impressive striker in the tournament thus far?  Probably Nicklas Bendtner.  Who saw that one coming…

Finally, I suppose I had better touch on the news from over the road, that Harry Redknapp will be leaving Spurs.  There’ll be much dancing and taunting (dauncing?) from Arsenal fans, and with good reason.  However, I can’t help but feel that part of our glee is that Spurs have willingly got rid of a man who took them to fourth, fifth, and fourth consecutively.  With messrs Rodgers and Lambert already in new jobs elsewhere, they’ve severely limited their options for replacing Harry.  I have a sneaky feeling this move could prove to be, in every sense, a good thing for Arsenal fans.