Giroud Injury Further Complicates Things for Arsenal

Just when the criticisms of Olivier Giroud were reaching a boiling point, the Frenchman proved how much he means to Arsenal in a second half appearance at Goodison Park.  Excitement was at a fever pitch heading into the opening kickoff, with new signing Alexis slated to take up a center forward position.  45 minutes later, it was evident that it wasn’t going to be the Chilean’s day, and Giroud was summoned from the bench.  

It was expected that many would criticize Arsene Wenger’s decision to take off the 35 million pound man for a striker who is enduring a poor run of form.  Wenger justified his substitution in his post-match press conference, citing the need for a physical presence up front.  He was right, and Giroud’s impact earned the Gunners a resilient point against Everton.  

The happiness generated from the valiant comeback win was suppressed not long after with the news that Giroud could be out for weeks with a chance of missing as much as three months.  In a way, Arsenal are lucky to some degree that this injury didn’t happen ten days later.  

With less than a week left in the transfer window there is still time for Arsene Wenger to add a striker.  Then again, the injury at face value will only prompt the Frenchman to rue his failure to secure the services of an out-and-out striker already this summer.  Everyone in Europe is aware of the Gunners’ now desperate situation, and will likely squeeze Arsenal for every dime in any attempt to sign a striker. 

Today, Everton signed Samuel Eto’o for free in addition to the permanent capture of Romelu Lukaku.  Yesterday, Manchester City showed that they could lose two of their best strikers and still field another two top players up top.  Without Giroud, Arsenal have no instinctual number nines with a knack for goal.  

Yaya Sanogo earns praise for his work ethic and effort, but if that was what Arsenal were looking for they would have kept Marouane Chamakh around.  Alexis can play center forward, but Everton laid the blueprint on Saturday for how to slow down the Chilean.  Joel Campbell is unproven, Theo Walcott is unfit and likely to feature on the wing, and Lukas Podolski has not proved he can play through the middle effectively.  

At this point, there’s no excuse for Wenger not to act fast in the transfer market.  He will have to pay top-dollar, but that is nothing more than a consequence for not acting sooner.  Danny Welbeck has been named as a possible candidate, but his addition to the Emirates will not appease fans.  

With that being said, don’t be surprised if Arsene Wenger is forced to unload more of his checkbook in the closing days of the window as he did last season.  The difference, however, is that Mesut Ozil was not needed like a striker is needed right now.  

Eto’o would have been an acceptable addition, certainly better than nothing.  Arsene Wenger reportedly turned down the chance to sign Loic Remy, something he probably shouldn’t have done.  Liverpool signed Mario Balotelli for just 16 million pounds, surely prompting Arsenal fans to wonder why Arsenal weren't in the race for the talented yet enigmatic Italian.   

Regardless, times are desperate at the Emirates, and after the Champions League game against Besiktas Arsene Wenger must do something fast.  It's clear that the club would like to add a defensive midfielder and possibly a defender, but now it's imperative that they move signing a striker to the top of their wish list.

Ozil Returns at the Right Time

Arsenal sat atop the premier league table for more weeks than any other team last season.  They proved to be steady against mid-low table teams, but the biggest setbacks always came against the title contenders.  Arsenal were promptly routed away from home by Manchester City, Chelsea, and Liverpool as their title hopes faded along with the fitness of several key players.

After a busy summer in the transfer market, Arsene Wenger still has time to complete more business.  The task at hand right now is a visit to Goodison Park on Saturday which will be a formidable early season test for the Gunners.  It's imperative that Wenger gets it right with his struggling team this weekend so as not to show early-season vulnerability.

Mesut Ozil sounds ready to rejoin the side, as do Lukas Podolski and Per Mertesacker.  Similar to last season, Ozil joins the Gunners belatedly, this time the reason being Germany's triumph in Brazil.  Arsenal looked sluggish against Crystal Palace and were lucky to survive with three points, then drew 0-0 in Turkey with Besiktas on Tuesday.  The Gunners are hardly looking in form as of yet but the addition of the German could be a huge lift for the squad.

Alexis' form will likely improve in time as well as with the return of the Ozil, also allowing Aaron Ramsey to sit a little deeper and conserve his energy.  Then again, a stoppage time goal against Palace negated the need to worry about Ramsey's short-term fitness.  In the long run however, less ground covered will equate to a longer season for the Welshman.

Ozil will be immediately tasked with penetrating Everton's defensive core of James McCarthy, Gareth Barry, Sylvain Distin, and Phil Jagielka.  Even without Ross Barkley, Everton are an exceptional team with outstanding defenders.  The key for Ozil will be his movement off the ball and whether or not he combines well with Alexis and whoever else will feature up front.

Olivier Giroud will likely get the nod over Yaya Sanogo as the former continues to find consistent form in front of goal.  If Giroud could be a little more precise with his finishing, it could mean the difference for Arsenal against Roberto Martinez' men.  Santi Cazorla had a much better game on Tuesday, but Gunner fans wouldn't be too disappointed to see Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain get the nod.

It will also be interesting to see if Calum Chambers makes an appearance at a position other than center back.  With Mertesacker back in the squad, Chambers could see time at either defensive midfield or right back.  Chambers could negate the need for an extra defensive midfielder, but it remains to be seen if he has the steel to consistently disrupt play with physicality.  Arsenal will need to good showing from whoever plays alongside Ramsey.

With all things considered, this could be Ozil's chance to make a splash in the league from the get-go as he did last season.  His cutting-edge creative abilities are undoubted, but it's his work rate in league play that needs to improve the most.  That, along with his long-term durability in the premier league are what people will be most keen to criticize.  With Germany he showed more hunger to chase the ball, and perhaps a taste of gold will elevate Ozil's desire for more trophies.