Arsenal Star admits teammate struggling to find form, may face harsh decision
Oct 5, 2016 at 12:28 PM
Laurent Koscielny has admitted his Arsenal and France team-mate Olivier Giroud has found himself in a “difficult” situation this season.
Giroud had to face fierce criticism from both Arsenal and France fans last season despite the fact he scored 35 goals for club and country, including three in the European Championships.
Arsenal fans begged Arsene Wenger to sign a new striker in the summer transfer window but the manager has since found a solution in-house.
Alexis Sanchez has emerged as a genuine option up front with Wenger recently comparing him to none other than Luis Suarez, who he once infamously tried to sign from Liverpool.
The Chilean has started every Premier League game as a striker this season and has repaid Wenger’s faith with five goals and four assists. It has left Giroud picking up the scraps off the bench.
That must be hard for Koscielny to take. The centre-back shares a close relationship with Giroud and would know exactly how the striker is feeling. Unsurprisingly, he’s struggling.
Speaking to French outlet INFOSPORT+, Koscielny said: “It’s difficult for Olivier Giroud at the moment, because Alexis Sanchez is currently ‘walking on water’ at Arsenal.”
And it looks like Giroud has a mammoth task to get himself back into the team with Wenger recently proclaiming that Sanchez playing as a striker has given the team a new dynamic.
He told Sky Sports: “I decided to try Sanchez [up front]. He has similarities with Luis Suarez. At the start, many people questioned that decision.
“Where he’s strong is that he can dribble, finish and he can also give a final ball. I’ve always thought he has the attributes to bring something different to the team because he has a different style of play.
“And what I like about him is he can see a pass too. That’s very important too.”
Giroud could start trying to earn his place back by outworking Sanchez in training, but even that appears to be unlikely with Alex Iwobi claiming the pocket rocket is by far the hardest worker at London Colney.
Iwobi told FourFourTwo: “He’s just everywhere.
“He runs so much in training. And it shows in the match that he covers a lot of distance.”
Good luck, Olivier. Seems like you’re going to need it.