Fatigued Olivier Giroud Is a Concern for Arsenal Ahead of FA Cup Final

EMIRATES STADIUM, LONDON — Somewhere in north London, Danny Welbeck must be kicking himself. The England international left his beloved Manchester United to try and establish himself as a Premier League centre-forward. However, at the precise time Arsenal need him, he finds himself unable to contribute to the cause.

Arsenal’s first-choice centre forward is Frenchman Olivier Giroud. He has been largely outstanding this season, justifying his position as Arsene Wenger’s preferred striking option. However, after drawing a blank against , he has now gone seven games without scoring. It’s not ideal for the team’s top forward to be finishing the season on a diminuendo.

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It’s not that he’s suddenly become a bad player. Giroud’s role is a physical one; in every game he takes a significant buffeting from the opposition centre-halves. Eventually, that kind of conflict is going to take its toll on the body. As Giroud’s stamina has waned, so has his confidence, and he now looks some way short of the player we saw a couple of months ago.

He simply needs a rest. However, with Welbeck sidelined, there is no obvious player to come in for him. Theo Walcott has ambitions of playing as a central striker, but Wenger has never considered him a serious option for the role. At the start of the campaign, Alexis Sanchez was occasionally used through the middle, but he now seems to have settled into a role on the left. There’s no appropriate replacement for Giroud, and he is fading under the strain.

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He didn’t play particularly poorly against Sunderland, but his struggles are symptomatic of an Arsenal team who have now gone three home games without scoring a goal. As much as opposition goalkeepers have rightly taken credit for some impressive displays, the real issue has been Arsenal’s underwhelming attacking play. Even when the team do create chances, their finishing lacks the requisite conviction.

Giroud is not the only forward looking fatigued. Alexis Sanchez’s start to the season was characterised by relentless running, but he is now bursting into life with increasing infrequency. Mesut Ozil and Santi Cazorla once buzzed with activity at the creative hub of the Arsenal midfield. However, against Sunderland, they barely figured.

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With an FA Cup final around the corner, Arsenal fans will be concerned by the lack of fluency in their team. Although a final is a one-off encounter where form can go out of the window, they would presumably feel more secure if they were heading to Wembley with significant momentum rather than stumbling toward the finish line.

With that in mind, their remaining Premier League fixture against West Bromwich Albion takes on an added significance. Come that final league game, Wenger must find a balance between handing a rest to those who need it and ensuring Arsenal have a team capable of taking them into the final on the back of a positive result.

Giroud could patently do with a rest, but the lack of an obvious alternative may force him into action once again.

James McNicholas is Bleacher Report's lead Arsenal correspondent and is following the club from a London base throughout the 2014-15 season. Follow him on Twitter here.