Arsene Wenger Criticised by Harry Redknapp over Olivier Giroud and Theo Walcott

Former Tottenham Hotspur coach Harry Redknapp has savaged Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger for his rotation policy, criticising the Frenchman for his use of Olivier Giroud and Theo Walcott.

The former Premier League boss ripped into Wenger in his column for the London Evening Standard, exercising his knowledge of Walcott's game after managing the player while at Southampton:

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Arsene Wenger has talked about rotating Olivier Giroud and Theo Walcott as his main striker but that creates a big problem for Arsenal: what is your style of play? 

One is a big man who thrives on crosses and is strong in the air, while the other is all about pace who wants to run in behind. So every week you have got a different way of playing and that can only disrupt the shape of the team.

It is a difficult one because you aren’t swapping Giroud with someone like Graziano Pelle at Southampton, both of whom like to hold the ball up and bring others into play. Walcott and Giroud are complete opposites and while that can be a strength because they offer a different kind of threat, the other players are going to struggle to find a consistent pattern to their play. 

I’d play Theo wide right. I’d find a place for him because pace is what teams fear most. 

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However, Redknapp contradicted his feelings about Walcott's positioning in the same column, admitting the player featured through the middle for him in 2005, scoring on his debut against Leeds United.

The Gunners have not been in top form during the start of their Premier League campaign, but they remain fifth in the form guide despite two losses from their first six fixtures.

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Wenger has attempted to blend Walcott and Giroud in the lone striker's role but with varying results. The Arsenal manager failed to add a world-class striker to his ranks in the recent transfer window, forcing him to rotate the two individuals. 

Walcott has always had aspirations to be a lead striker for his club, but his opening efforts haven't produced the goals he craves. The England player has just one strike in 284 minutes of Premier League football this season, per WhoScored.com, and that is not a strike rate that will get pundits excited. 

Giroud has had slightly more joy than Walcott in the league, scoring twice from his six appearances, according to WhoScored, but he cannot be called prolific by any means. 

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However, Walcott has spoken about improving his quality in the striker's role and his desire to keep plugging away in the centre for Wenger, per the club's official website: "It’s obviously well documented that I want to play up front, but there’s a lot of competition for places here. I will do my best in any position when I am given the opportunity to play for this club. I will always be judged on goals and assists, but I feel like I would score a lot of goals up front."

There is a risk that not playing Walcott in his preferred role might see him tempted to look elsewhere. Sky Sport's Guillem Balague speculated about the possibility of the player joining current European champions Barcelona, as reported by German publication Bild (h/t Manolete in AS).

Redknapp makes a salient point about the rotation of the two attackers, but it also shows how out of touch he is with current Premier League tactics.

The best clubs need a variation in the striker position, and Walcott brings pace to the side, which Giroud simply doesn't possess. 

The rotation of Walcott and Giroud is not flawed, and Wenger should increasingly use the England attacker when he needs to get in behind an opposition's defence. 

Anthony Martial has shown the benefit of pace to Manchester United in the No. 9 role, and Walcott emulates this for the Gunners. 

Alexis Sanchez can fulfil this function for Wenger, but he is much more dangerous linking up with play from deeper. Walcott is dangerous in straight lines; he will outrun most centre-backs in a race and gives Wenger a credible counter-attacking option.