Following the highly-anticipated return of first team striker, Olivier Giroud, this Gunners side now find themselves in a position where options in the attacking front line are better than they have ever been this season.
Along with the exciting purchase of Danny Welbeck in the summer, Arsene Wenger now has a task on his hands as to whether he can get these two playing as a dynamic duo.
It’s something that we haven’t thought about in a long time at Arsenal, whether we are confident to once again shape up our formation with the addition of two our and out strikers playing side by side.
You’re probably going back to the days of Bergkamp and Henry when looking at our last formidable front two that could really cause some damage, but since then Wenger has been reluctant to start two men in the attacking role, however that could all be about to change.
Last weekends game at the Hawthorns was full of new surprises in our starting 11, but the one that really stood out was the decision to play Giroud and Welbeck at the same time. Would it work? Well we didn’t really know, and I don’t think the boss would’ve had much idea either if I’m honest.
Nevertheless, it turns out many of you guys were happy with how things turned out on the pitch, rating Welbeck and Giroud as two of the top 5 players against the Baggies, after Welbeck grabbed a goal that will mean a lot more than just being the match winner. Giroud looked relaxed on the ball, and it is clearer to see what his role is in the side now, but we’ll get to that a bit later.
Early signs of the two strikers working well together will be a huge pick up for Wenger, who now has an injury list the longest it’s been this season. But the fact is, Wenger already knew he could play Welbeck alongside Giroud, it was just a matter of time.
Looking at the stats to back Welbeck up, he now has five goals in the last four games he’s played for his country, pairing up with former United teammate Wayne Rooney. You may be saying to yourself that Giroud is nothing like Rooney, but what he offers is better I feel.
Balls played over the top are always comfortably received by Giroud, who loves to either get his head on it and look for the flick, or take a touch and keep the ball until something is on. Together with Welbecks pace, Giroud can get his foot on the first touch with Welbz ready to unleash a sprint whilst peeling round the back of his fellow forward.
It has to be said, Welbeck can’t have been too happy when he saw he was starting out on the left-wing, somewhere he was forced to play whilst at United. The Englishman is built to be a striker, and that was shown when 50 minutes in Wenger decided to play them as a couple up top, and then we all know what happened next. Goal.
Something that helps these two play so well is attitude, Welbeck understands that Giroud is the main man up top, so when it comes to helping out the team, the 24-year-old will always work tirelessly to drop back in and help the midfield out.
These two have a lot of one thing and are missing something the other one has, that means when you put them together you’ve got a deadly combination. The mixture of Giroud’s possession play and Welbeck’s pace is something we haven’t had since the years of our Invincibles, so it certainly adds something different to the way we attack.
One thing is for sure though, we have to be careful of just how much pace we’re putting into this attack, with the defensive capabilities of Alexis and Walcott falling slightly short to that of Chamberlain or Ramsey. So it’s important we get the right balance, this isn’t going to be a partnership that’ll work in every fixture we play.