Olivier Giroud vs. Christian Benteke: Breaking Down the Arsenal-Liverpool Battle

When Arsenal meet Liverpool in the Premier League on Monday night, the performances of their respective centre-forwards will have a huge influence in determining the outcome of the match. In Olivier Giroud and Christian Benteke, the two teams possess two of a dying breed: both men are powerful central strikers in the traditional target man mould.

In this piece, we carry out an examination of their abilities, based predominantly on their achievements in last season’s Premier League.

Finishing

In terms of their output in 2014/15, Giroud was the more prolific of the two forwards. He managed 0.68 goals per 90 minutes as opposed to Benteke’s 0.49.

That can largely be put down to the Belgian’s midseason slump—a troubling spell which only came to a close when Tim Sherwood took charge at Villa Park. It’s also important to say that he was not given the same ammunition as Giroud. It’s a very different thing playing in front of Mesut Ozil to playing at the point of an uninspired Aston Villa side. That’s reflected in the fact that Benteke mustered less shots over the course of the season than the Frenchman.

In terms of their shooting accuracy, there’s actually very little difference. Giroud hit the target with 50 percent of his attempts, with Benteke only marginally behind on 45. That suggests that if Liverpool can create opportunities for him to score, he has a chance of matching Giroud’s tally this season.

Aerial ability

For a target man, the ability to be dominant in the air is absolutely crucial. When it comes to the percentage of aerial duels they win, the battle is incredibly closely fought. Last season, Benteke fared slightly better, triumphing on 54.84 percent of occasions, with Giroud just behind on 50.25.

Matt Dunham/Associated Press

However, closer examination of the numbers shows Benteke’s superior percentage translated into a far greater number of headers won. Over the course of an average 90 minutes, he would win over seven headers, with Giroud registering less than five.

Much of this can be put down to the variation in style between Arsenal and Aston Villa. One would expect Benteke’s number of headers to drop now that he plays in a more cosmopolitan Liverpool side, though his success ratio should remain impressive. Both men are clearly capable of providing an aerial target for their team—something Liverpool badly lacked last season.

Creativity

This is an area where you would expect Giroud to have the edge. He makes up for his lack of pace with his vision, showing a Teddy Sheringham-esque ability to fashion chances for team-mates with the most delicate of flicks. He operates as a burly wall off which Arsenal’s diminutive dribblers can play countless one-twos as they look to dance beyond the opposition defence.

That ability to open up a defence is reflected in the fact that Giroud collected more assists than Benteke, creating three Premier League goals over the course of the campaign.

However, somewhat surprisingly, Benteke actually generated more goalscoring opportunities for other players across 2014/15. He produced 33 chances for others as opposed to Giroud’s 28. That suggests had he been surrounded by more accomplished players than his Villa team-mates, he might well have equalled Giroud’s assist tally.

The way in which he fashions chances for others is less subtle than Giroud. Benteke is more likely to make a chance with a dominant knockdown than an impudent backheel. Nevertheless, at Liverpool he has a chance to become a creator as well as a goalscorer.

One of Benteke’s advantages over Giroud is his superior ability to go past players with the ball at his feet. On average, he beats a man 0.64 times per game in a dribbling situation. Giroud manages that just 0.34 times per 90 minutes.

Defensive duties

An often overlooked part of a target man’s responsibilities is providing defensive support at set pieces. For teams like Arsenal and Liverpool, who are not packed with physical giants, it’s a vital part of the job.

Kirsty Wigglesworth/Associated Press

In this area, Giroud’s experience makes him more effective. Defending corners and free-kicks at the near post, he manages 1.26 clearances per 90 minutes. Benteke, on the other hand, has produced just 0.76. That could be explained by the fact that at Aston Villa there were other aerially dominant players able to assist in getting the ball clear. Arsenal, by contrast, are reliant on Giroud to win headers—in both boxes.

Conclusion

What the numbers demonstrate are that the contest between these two strikers is very close indeed. That probably goes some way toward explaining why Arsenal did not enter the race for Benteke's services this summer. Although there are areas where Giroud was superior last season, those are largely explained by the fact that he was playing in a far stronger team. While Arsenal were on the fringes of the title race, Aston Villa were battling against relegation for most of 2014/15.

Now that Benteke is playing for a superior side in Liverpool, he has every chance of closing what is already a slim gap on the Frenchman—especially when you take into account his age and potential.

The clash between Arsenal and Liverpool in the Premier League will provide the perfect stage for Benteke to show he has kicked on since the move to Anfield. 

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James McNicholas is Bleacher Report's lead Arsenal correspondent and is following the club from a London base throughout 2015/16. Follow him on Twitter here.