Alan Smith: Beware David Luiz, Chelsea striker Olivier Giroud is so clever when he’s boxed in

Alan Smith31 July 2020

It wasn’t so long ago — mid-February to be precise — when Michy Batshuayi was thought a better option than Olivier Giroud. With Tammy Abraham injured having looked jaded, Frank Lampard went with Batshuayi for the visit of Manchester United, a decision that badly backfired in the 2-0 defeat.

I remember thinking at the time that something must have gone on behind the scenes. I mean, you could understand Giroud’s exclusion in the first half of the season when Abraham was looking the part. But now? Perhaps Giroud had fallen out with the manager, thrown a proper wobbly because he wasn’t getting a look-in. Surely something had happened for the World Cup winner to fall behind a player of Batshuayi’s track record.

But no. Lampard insists now that the Frenchman’s attitude had been impeccable throughout those months in the wilderness. If that’s true, it sounds like Lampard simply didn’t see the centre-forward as his kind of striker. Launching into a new age at Chelsea, maybe Giroud’s slightly static style didn’t conform to the new manager’s blueprint.

Whatever the truth, Giroud is certainly in favour now. More than that, he’s now the main man up front after scoring seven goals, many of them crucial, since the restart.

One aspect stands out when I watch him play. It’s what he does in the box just before the ball arrives, how he manoeuvres his defender to gain an advantage. It’s the most unspectacular asset imaginable but also one of the most valuable.

How many times have you seen Giroud jostle with an opponent before getting his toe or head to the ball in a tight space? It looks like a simple scrap when, in reality, this is a skill honed from years of practice.

And it’s a skill that could be crucial tomorrow when our man faces up to his old club. Think of those tussles with Arsenal’s David Luiz. Who will come out on top when push comes to shove? Luiz has certainly got the ability to make life fairly hard but can he retain concentration across the whole piece in the way that he did against Manchester City in the semi-final?

If not, you’d expect Giroud to be ready as an expert taker of chances. Those goals are not always pretty but they’re often important. We’re talking here, after all, about a big-stage performer.

In Pictures | Arsenal's kit for FA Cup final against Chelsea | 31/07

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I should admit at this point to an affinity with someone once compared to me by Arsene Wenger. Giroud and I share certain similarities, though unfortunately not in the looks department.

More seriously, this episode with Giroud might have taught Lampard a valuable lesson — don’t write somebody off because they don’t fit your ethos. Don’t stubbornly disregard a player of proven ability.

Nobody can afford to ignore Giroud now. Least of all Arsenal.

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