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Wenger and Giroud’s honest relationship

Olivier Giroud has scored seven goals in his last five starts in all competitions.

That’s decent by anyone’s standards, and yet the France striker faces a big battle to keep his place in the team.

Giroud was the main topic of conversation at Arsene Wenger’s post-match press conference and here’s what the boss said:

on a good game for Olivier to be involved in…
He makes always a point when he comes on because he’s scored many times when he’s come on. He has qualities in our squad that are needed and that the other players have not. And he is a fighter as well, Olivier. He has a fantastic mentality.

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on Giroud and how frustrating this season may have been for him…
It has been very frustrating for him because he didn’t always play and when he played well I didn’t always play him in the next game. But I think we have an honest relationship. I have a big respect for him and he knows that. He was not always playing and despite that, he kept a strong motivation level. Our job, when you’re a football player, you have to be always ready. That’s part of the job. When you’re selected, it’s fantastic. When you’re not selected, you have to be ready. And the players who are always ready when they get their chance, they are there. And the players who feel sorry for themselves, they get their chance and they give you one more reason to justify why you didn’t select them. The fighters are always ready.

on what Giroud needs to do to keep his place…
We are not in an administration here. We are in a competition. You do not have ‘your place’, like a seat that you buy with a season ticket. We are competing and I think if I have only one striker, everybody says ‘What are you doing, you have only one striker?!’ So you need two or three strikers and we have Welbeck coming back so most of the time I will have to make the decision considering the opponent we play. Like today, I knew it would be deep and that in the air could be a solution. So I have to make the right decisions.

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