Arsène Wenger has offered a vote of confidence to Olivier Giroud as the Arsenal striker contends with his false start to the season, in which he has been restricted to just 78 minutes of football for his club.
The manager reported that Giroud’s toe injury, which he sustained at Paris Saint‑Germain on 13 September and aggravated against Chelsea 11 days later, would keep the player out for a further two weeks, and it is plain that it is a frustrating time for the 30-year-old.
Giroud has sometimes been the target for Arsenal fans’ anger and there has long been debate over whether he is good enough to lead them to the Premier League title. But Wenger said that he had missed the striker in the club’s previous game – the 1-0 win at Burnley – and he believes that Giroud remains a player to be counted on.
“I am an admirer of Giroud because he has gone through some tough times and he bounces back,” Wenger said. “When his back is to the wall, he has an answer every time. When I go into a big game, you always think: ‘I can rely on him.’ You know that when the competition starts, he will be with you.”
Giroud was also a target for some France fans at Euro 2016 but the manager, Didier Deschamps, selected him regularly as the team reached the final, where they lost to Portugal. “Before the competition, the supporters didn’t want him,” Wenger said. “But he turned them around. That’s one of the strengths of Olivier. He is mentally very strong.
“The criticism does knock him. He’s not made of metal. He’s sensitive but sensitive and strong. Everybody wants to be loved. I’ve never seen anyone who dreams to be hated. But it is dealing with the fact that it doesn’t always go your way that makes a man.”
Wenger gave Giroud an extended summer break after his exertions at Euro 2016 and he was easing him back to fitness at the time of the season’s first international break in early September. Giroud had made just one substitute’s appearance at Leicester City but he started in France’s games against Italy and Belarus – the latter of which was a World Cup qualifier. When Giroud returned to Arsenal, Wenger kept him as a substitute, bringing him on against Southampton and PSG. It was in the latter fixture – in which Giroud was also sent off – that the toe problem started.
Wenger was asked whether Giroud’s involvement for France had caused a problem, as he had not looked ready to start when he was called up. “Yes,” Wenger replied, before he added: “I was not surprised he played. He was on the way up and France just came at the right time to have a game. I thought the two games with France would help him to get his fitness back but, after that, he got his injury.”
Wenger has used Alexis Sánchez up front this season and Giroud faces a fight to regain his place when fit. “Sánchez can also play on the flank, like he has before,” Wenger said. “He’s happy to play on the flank and up front. I will have to try to find the best solution game by game.” Wenger said.