So the talismanic French striker went down injured on Saturday 23rd of August after he lead the Gunners back from a 2 goal deficit to secure a somewhat undeserving 2-2 tie with Everton at Goodison Park. In a game where the Gunners were by far the 2nd best team, Arsene Wenger had elected to leave Giroud on the bench wanting to give him a chance to recover from his exploits at the World Cup but in the end le boss needed to send on his French striker to shake things up and give his team another goal option not to mention giving Everton a much bigger concern with attacking attributes to deal with.

Within minutes of Giroud coming on he had gone close to halving the arrears as he narrowly missed Arsenal’s 1st goal as he volleyed just over from close range. Giroud was to prove the difference ultimately as he did indeed go on to secure the most unlikely of points for the Gunners, in a game which they were totally outplayed, when the French hitman nodded in the equaliser after a sustained bout of Gunners’ pressure which peaked when Giroud’s equaliser went in to the Everton goal in the 90th minute.

The downside to the 2-2 tie was the ankle injury sustained by Giroud which ended up being a broken leg (albeit not the most severe break but a break none-the-less which was due to keep the player off the field for over 4 months). The timing of Giroud’s injury perhaps made Wenger move for Danny Welbeck – a transfer he may not have made without Giroud’s injury – but Welbeck has proved to be a good addition who has been productive on the goal front, a good squad member and a useful competitor for Giroud’s spot in the team as well as adding depth to a good attacking department.

Giroud was not due to return until the new year – but when he was fit enough to face Man United on the 22nd of November, replacing Aaron Ramsey in the second half and within 15 minutes of coming on went on to score a sensational goal which almost saved the game for the Gunners which they ultimately lost 2-1 – it was hard to argue with the work and desire from Giroud which enabled him to get back on the field and deliver at the top level. To miss only 9 Premier League games was a testiment to Giroud’s attitude and fabulous physical shape which allowed his fast return from which he did not suffer a set-back.

Giroud has scored 7 goals in 10 Premier League games so far this season and an additional 3 more with 1 in the community shield and 2 in the FA Cup. So he has a decent strike rate considering he has come back from a very serious injury which suggests to us that the French striker has much more to give and is certainly under-rated – watch this space!!

With stats from our friends at Soccerbase.com