Arsenal are an Olivier Giroud injury away from losing the initiative

Arsenal striker Olivier Giroud is in pristine form.

It wasn’t long ago this season when Arsene Wenger retreated into the shelter of the tunnel at the Emirates Stadium as his players came off to a cacophony of boos, jeers and whistles. Arsenal had just lost 1-3 on the very first day of the season to an unlikely candidate – Aston Villa. As the full time whistle approached with the Gunners not looking anywhere close to even salvaging a draw, fans could be seen literally begging Wenger to spend some money on quality signings.

Until deadline day, Wenger had made only two signings – Yaya Sanogo and Mathieu Flamini – neither of whom cost a penny. And with the press inundated with stories of Wenger holding the keys to a “war chest” worth £70m, fans were sharpening their knives and readying their pitchforks.

Of course, the reaction was extremely premature as the negativity was compounded by the fact that it was the opening fixture of the season. To be fair to Wenger, who did apologise to the fans, he had a point when he said the team still had the necessary quality which was carried forward from the back end of last season ever since they beat Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena. It was their first loss since that unforgettable night and a shoddy job by the referee did not help settle the matter.

The fans did have a point, but only for that particular game. The impatient lot had neglected to look at the list of injured players and criticized Wenger for the thin bench. The only quality options available on the bench were Santi Cazorla and Lukas Podolski. Mikel Arteta, Thomas Vermaelen and Abou Diaby were all injured and unavailable for selection.

But in two weeks, the poisonous atmosphere around Ashburton Grove transformed into one of unbridled joy as Wenger’s Arsenal, who were yet to spend a penny in the transfer market, beat a highly fashioned Tottenham side, who had spent more than £100m, in the North London Derby. And the optimism rose even higher when the club shattered their transfer record a couple of times over to sign the highly rated Mesut Ozil from Real Madrid in a coup that nobody saw coming until deadline day.

Suddenly, Arsenal looked like title contenders with a midfield boasting the likes of Ozil, Cazorla, Jack Wilshere, Aaron Ramsey, Tomas Rosicky, Mikel Arteta and Mathieu Flamini. Although Flamini’s signing raised a few eyebrows, all doubts were soon dispelled when he marshalled the midfield and protected the back four, even leaving centre backs Per Mertesacker and Laurent Koscielny mere passengers in some games. Although injuries to Theo Walcott, Alex-Oxlade Chamberlain and Lukas Podolski have reduced that goal scoring threat a bit and also deprived Arsenal of pace, the blistering form of Aaron Ramsey has seen him reduce the goal scoring burden a lot.

But the biggest gamble taken by Arsene Wenger this season is not signing a quality striker to back up Oilivier Giroud. Currently, with the side five points clear at the top of the League table (an EPL record at this stage of the season), things are looking good for the Gunners.

But they are potentially one injury away from throwing away that healthy lead.

The only other striking option Arsenal have in the squad is Nicklas Bendtner. The striker, who had once sworn never to play for Arsenal again, fell out of favour with a host of other clubs and ultimately came back; licking his wounds and staying put, working hard to regain his spot. Although the big Dane has mellowed down a bit since his “wilder” days as an Arsenal player in his early 20s, he is not the reliable option you would want Wenger to turn to when searching for an elusive goal.

Nicklas Bendtner – Confident but unreliable on current form.

Bendtner has shown in the League Cup games that he is a hard worker, but at the same time he has also shown that he is not a player at his best. He needs some games under his belt after just a handful of appearances for Juventus last season, before an untimely injury curtailed his season. He didn’t score even once for the Turin club who politely declined to make his loan move permanent. And eight trophy-less seasons mean that Wenger cannot afford to give the striker another season to re-adapt and find his form. Not with the Premier League title at stake.

Giroud, on the other hand, has seen his stock go off the charts this season. Indeed, it is a proven fact that he always performs better in his second season at a club. He took his time to get going last season but once he hit his stride, he finished the season with 17 goals in all competitions. This season, not even three months into the thick of things, he already has 8 goals and 4 assists to boot. He was scoring a goal a game in the first four League fixtures.

But the Frenchman’s importance goes beyond scoring goals. He is one of the primary reasons the midfielders are now finding their way into the score sheet. His one touch play to bring midfielders into the box and into scoring positions is currently unparalleled in the Premier League. This has been proven time and again, especially in games against Norwich and Crystal Palace. Another example of his impeccable first touch was his goal against Tottenham where he did not require an extra step to put away a Walcott cross.

His movement to get away from defenders is another point to note. He disguises his runs to either escape a defender that is marking him or drag a defender out of position to allow a midfielder (or even the full back) to saunter into the box unmarked and get them involved in one of many Arsenal moves that have regaled fans worldwide.

Giroud up front also gives Arsenal the option of employing long ball tactics as his superior aerial prowess has seen him win 50 aerial duels in 10 games; one of the highest in the Premier League. He is among the most efficient strikers who play with their backs to goal. This is one of the main reasons why you cannot expect a player like Theo Walcott or Lukas Podolski to thrive in that position. They tried last season and neither of them were as successful as the 27-year-old Frenchman has been. And even they will need a few games to get back into the swing of things post their injuries.

This Arsenal side is the culmination of Wenger’s philosophy of winning games while playing beautiful football. For a welcome change, Arsenal did not see their best players sold to rival clubs and instead brought in an ‘assist machine’ to improve the quality and morale of the squad. I, for one, do not want to be the prophet of doom. But it has to be said that Arsenal will need one more striking option to call upon in their hour of need. Whether we will see one in January is anybody’s guess.

Perhaps another Wenger surprise is in the offing?