It was the opening day of the 2012-2013 season. Arsenal were hosting Sunderland at home. As the new season began, there were massive hopes and expectations from the Gunners faithful for a fruitful season ahead. The game against Sunderland was deadlocked at 0-0 right until the final stages, then new signing Santi Cazorla laid out a defense splitting pass for fellow debutant Olivier Giroud.

As the entire Emirates Stadium held their breath for Giroud to score on his debut, the Frenchman failed to convert from close range, reminding the fans of the tough time they will endure in the coming months, which started with star striker Robin van Persie leaving them high and dry for Manchester United.

Fast forward that day to this weekend, when Giroud was towering above the Norwich City defenders, holding up play with ease, resisting challenges and most importantly, laying a wonderfully lifted ball for Ozil to head home. The striker has come a long way from missing that sitter against Sunderland over a year ago.

There were initial fears about him turning out to be a failure at Arsenal in his initial games as he struggled to find the back of the net. Yes he had massive boots to fill of van Persie, and the expectations on his shoulders were immense. Despite of that, Giroud’s output of 17 goals in all competitions justifies that he indeed had a good fruitful debut season.

Personally, he has started this season brightly too, as he scored in Arsenal’s season opener against Aston Villa. What must be noted is that the aspect of becoming a team player is something which has increased by leaps and bounds in his game. Not only is he scoring goals, he is laying them out for his team-mates as well.

There are talks of Arsenal possibly approaching Juventus’ Fernando Llorente in January, someone who is of a similar stature as Giroud and nearly possesses the same traits as him. However, by the looks of it, Giroud will remain the main man, and Llorente will be a back up. The confidence which the reliable Giroud has gained this season is something which will cement his place in the squad for a long time now.