#3 The strange case of Olivier Giroud
Olivier Giroud’s form and performance are quite enigmatic at times. After the French forward came on off the bench to score crucial goals for his side, Wenger finally decided to give him a shot in the starting line-up this past Sunday. Re-introducing the striker to the side and pushing Alexis Sanchez back into the left wing worked out pretty well as they won their game against Crystal Palace. So, it was no wonder he started tonight’s game as well.
However, the results of his inclusion weren’t as satisfactory in the first half. The striker was isolated for most of the half under the watchful eyes of defenders Ake and Steve Cook. Even when his teammates did manage to work the ball towards him, he was nowhere in the vicinity.
All this changed in the second half as the Frenchman seemed to display a greater determination. He quickly ingratiated himself in the game to help build up two of his side’s goal and finally score the equaliser. Whatever Wenger said to Giroud during half time worked wonders as he started imposing himself and causing problems for the defence.
