Olivier Giroud may not have played very much for Arsenal this season, but the striker should start for the Gunners against Manchester United.
Olivier Giroud has been a regular on Arsenal‘s bench so far this season. However, that should change when the Gunners travel to play Manchester United on Saturday. Alexis Sanchez has been a revelation in Giroud’s place. But now the game against United calls for Giroud to be the striker.
The Frenchman, rightly or wrongly, has long since been criticized and doubted as Arsenal’s first-choice striker. And so far, this season has proved to be the one where Giroud was finally dropped from the Gunners team and demoted to the bench.
Arsene Wenger’s decision to play Sanchez as the team’s striker was, much like Giroud, criticized at first. But in a short space of time, the Chilean has proved his manager to be right. Sanchez has been an upgrade on Giroud. For the foreseeable future, that will likely continue.
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But the game against United is a big game that is going to require Wenger to make some big decisions. The first decision will be judging whether Sanchez is actually fit enough to play against the Red Devils, after picking up a hamstring injury on international duty with Chile.
Either way, Giroud needs to start the game, with Sanchez either sitting out if not healthy enough, or moving to a different attacking position if he is indeed ready to go. Likely that would mean a return to the left wing, and then Alex Iwobi or Theo Walcott taking their place on the opposite side. Mesut Ozil remains as the number 10.
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Giroud is needed as the striker due to the way United are going to set up for the game. Jose Mourinho is known for producing defensive, counter-attacking teams. The United boss is not going to play a high line and give Sanchez and his companions space to use their pace and run into.
Mourinho is going to play deep and force the Gunners to go wide if they want to attack. Other teams do this to Arsenal too, but this is Mourinho’s speciality. Shutting down big games and minimizing the opposition’s chances to score is what he does. Just look at the Liverpool game last month.
Wenger would be better served playing Sanchez, if fit, back on the left wing and allow him to run at the United defense and attack from there. If Arsenal are forced to play wide, then you want Sanchez on the ball. And if you have to put crosses into the box to create chances, then you want Giroud in there waiting.
Giroud is also a threat at set pieces, and if the game is particularly tight, then a set piece can make all the difference. It’s not a lineup that Wenger should use every week, of course, but it’s needs must for this game. A lineup that fits the purpose.
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Everybody knows how United are going to play ahead of the game. Don’t fall for it again, Arsene. Be prepared and adjust accordingly. Use the options available in your squad. You can’t use the same tactics in every single game. Some matchups just call for something different.
The game against United calls for Olivier Giroud to enter the starting XI as the team’s striker.