Generous Olivier Giroud is Invaluable to Arsenal

Olivier Giroud is one of Arsenal's most valuable players because he's one of the most generous. Stellar link play has always been as much a part of his game as frustrating misses in front of goal.

His talent for supplying others may in fact be the defining aspect of Giroud's style of play. It's certainly invaluable to the way this Gunners team builds attacks and creates chances.

Giroud was at his sharing best during Arsenal's recent 3-0 Premier League win over West Ham United. The towering Frenchman bagged the Gunners opener, but the way he released team-mates behind the Hammers defence really stood out.

It began with the match barely minutes old. A deft and classy backheel put Theo Walcott in a one-on-one situation. The uncharacteristically wasteful England international squandered the chance, but the pattern of the game was set.

It was a pattern that had Giroud at the heart of everything good Arsenal did going forward. He set Aaron Ramsey free several times, most notably with a layoff that set up the Welshman's goal.

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Giroud executed a dummy to outwit his marker from a throw-in, before playing a one-two with Ramsey to create the latter's shooting chance. The move was a classic example of the stylish combination play that's been Arsenal's hallmark ever since Arsene Wenger assumed control in late-1996.

It was also a brilliant illustration of the clash of styles that makes Giroud vital for the Gunners.

For a striker with the height and build of a proverbial aerial powerhouse, Giroud isn't your traditional No. 9. Despite his apparent physicality, the ex-Montpellier star is actually a finesse player, one defined more by technique than power.

Giroud's height and strength do offer a useful outlet for a team still populated with diminutive schemers who can't always win the scrap for possession in midfield. But the Gunners don't have to when they can simply launch a long ball toward their target man.

Yet Giroud's contributions once he seizes possession are his most decisive. They are also what make him a typical Wenger player.

The Arsenal boss has always preferred to feature strikers who are equally proficient creatively as they are prolific in front of goal. Wenger's first double-winning squad relied on the goals and technical artistry of Dennis Bergkamp.

In later years, Thierry Henry was, for all his scoring exploits, a brilliant creator. In fact, Henry established a Premier League record for assists when he set up 20 goals during the 2002/03 season.

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Giroud may not compare favourably to that illustrious pair, but his contribution to the current squad's bid for success could be just as significant. Speaking of comparisons, ESPN FC writer James McNicholas offered a very apt one based on 29-year-old Giroud's late-career bloom:

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There are relatively few centre-forwards capable of finding the runs of others with an audacious flick quite so frequently. Arsenal fans may not like the comparison, but watching Giroud there are shades of Teddy Sherginham's prescient playmaking. Sheringham, it is worth noting, was arguably at his best in his early 30s.

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As Sheringham did during his peak seasons, Giroud is combining a strong scoring run with a consistent creative streak. But as well as he's performed in front of goal recently, spurned chances always hang over Giroud's progress like a spectre.

It's why mooted links to strikers such as Mario Mandzukic, per Daily Star reporter Garry Doolan, are always tempting. It's easy to long for a striker who can offer those same essential touches and flicks Giroud produces to create goals, but one who will also convert a few more chances, particularly in the biggest games against the toughest opposition.

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The issue of Giroud's profligacy will come into sharp focus when the Gunners take on Monaco in the second leg of their UEFA Champions League last-16 clash. During a 3-1 defeat in the first leg when every Arsenal player struggled, Giroud was the comic villain who most symbolised the team's follies.

He missed three clear chances, two of which a competent striker would've put away. A top marksmen would have buried all three.

Giroud has scored three in four games in all competitions since that night. He believes he's revived his form just in time to earn redemption against Monaco, per London Evening Standard reporter Tom Farmery.

But whether Giroud scores or not in France, his talent for creating chances for those around him could be even more significant. It usually is.