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Wenger - Giroud is back to his best

13/14: Arsenal 3-1 West Ham United - Olivier Giroud

Olivier Giroud is back on an upward curve after a positive week, according to Arsene Wenger.

The France international came off the bench to score in Arsenal's penalty shoot-out win over Wigan Athletic at Wembley and then produced a moment of technical brilliance to find the net against West Ham United on Tuesday.

That goal took Giroud's tally for the season to 20 - three more than last term - and Wenger believes his compatriot has got his credibility back.

"He’s a guy who fights with people to get the ball. When he comes out of the game he has 50 fights behind him. That is more demanding than the guy who just runs away"

"He has done well," said the manager. "He has gone, like Mesut Ozil, through a more difficult period recently. It was a bit physical and mental as well with what happened to him.

"He is a strong lad, strong mentality, a strong, positive guy. He has a great mentality and that’s what I think got him back. He has scored 20 goals, that is a great record, and he is working very hard for the team.

"The quality of the goal [against West Ham] gives him, I think, confidence again. It gives him credibility again for people who questioned his ability, so that is important.

"For a while he played maybe too many games… but he’s a strong guy, he can cope with it. Up front it’s difficult because every challenge he goes into is physical. He’s not a guy who moves away from people to get the ball. He’s a guy who fights with people to get the ball. When he comes out of the game he has 50 fights behind him. That is more demanding than the guy who just runs away."

Wenger thinks Giroud has developed his game since he arrived at Arsenal in the summer of 2012 - but he has suggested one specific area for improvement.

"Maybe he has improved his finishing but there is still some room for improvement. For example you expect him to score more headers. He wins a lot of headers coming from deep. But with the headers coming from wide areas, he still has room for improvement."

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