‘Ifreke talks Sports: At Arsenal, it’s French or bench

by ‘Ifreke Inyang

Giroud_Everton

But it is important that Wenger puts a clinical finisher on his summer shopping list and at least challenge for the major trophies next season.

Last season, Arsenal struggled against Everton at the Emirates. It does appear that David Moyes seems to have settled for the appropriate antidote for the Gunners’ attacking verve. However, the difference between last year and 2013, is a certain Robin van Persie. The Dutchman didn’t need a second touch to put away Alex Song’s lofted pass away, with supreme technique.

Yesterday, Olivier Giroud had easier chances to put Arsene Wenger’s men ahead and he fluffed all of them. One has to wonder why he keeps starting ahead of Lukas Podolski. The German was the more established striker Wenger bought last summer and he was widely expected to lead the line, as Van Persie sealed his Manchester United move. However, Wenger, who evidently has something for playing his compatriots time and again, even when they are not at their best, has opted for Giroud.

The former Montpellier man will end this season with perhaps seven more goals, than RVP scored in his first season for Arsenal, but that stat, is both positive and misleading. Most Gooners will readily agree that Podolski is more clinical than Giroud and if most of the chances Giroud wasted fell to him, Wenger’s men might have been further up the table. But for some strange reason, Wenger does not even rotate him with Giroud like Rafa Benitez does at Chelsea.

It’s a league of fine margins. Ask Manchester United who lost the Premiership on goals difference last season. Word is that Wenger is preparing to dust his cheque book and sanction deals for any of Stevan Jovetic or Pierre Aubameyang. Arsenal fans should know more than get excited. But it is important that Wenger puts a clinical finisher on his summer shopping list and at least challenge for the major trophies next season.

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Op-ed pieces and contributions are the opinions of the writers only and do not represent the opinions of Y!/YNaija.

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