Olivier Giroud Has Lost Confidence Since Arsenal Rotation, Says Didier Deschamps

Arsenal striker Olivier Giroud will have to overcome inner turmoil if he's to reclaim his place in the Gunners' starting lineup after France manager Didier Deschamps admitted the forward's confidence has been struck.

Giroud has been called up for France's upcoming friendlies against Armenia and Denmark, but his national team boss conceded he's going through a tough time after seeing Theo Walcott take his club place, per the French Football Federation's official website (via ESPN FC's Mark Rodden):

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Olivier is in a tough position -- it's a difficult period for him. He was sent off in the Champions League with Arsenal and couldn't play in their last match in the competition. He's not playing as much as before. Inevitably, his confidence has diminished.

He started two games at the 2014 World Cup. He was an important player and he can't lose that from one day to the next. The fact that he's here is also a way of telling him that I have confidence in him.

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Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has preferred to utilise Walcott as his frontman this season, while Alexis Sanchez looks to have rediscovered his best form after bagging five goals already this term.

Giroud's reputation may not be at its highest thanks to him falling out of favour, but ESPN.com writer Jake Cohen has attested to the attacker remaining among the most consistent scorers still in the Premier League:

The understandable frustration for Arsenal fans is that Giroud may not be a genuinely world-class talent; his 16 goals in 2013-14 remains a Premier League best, and Wenger evidently feels others are worthy of a chance.  

However, while one side of the statistics may show Giroud to be a consistent asset up front, Opta's Orbinho has provided evidence he has a habit of failing to hit the target in big-match scenarios:

Giroud's confidence may not be shot altogether, though, considering he has three goals in three league starts this season, coming off of the bench to score against Stoke City and Leicester City in September.

Walcott, on the other hand, only has two goals to his name despite making five starts in the league, although Giroud has missed almost the same amount of scoring chances despite playing far fewer minutes, per Ben McAleer of WhoScored.com:

The Emirates Stadium is a cauldron of pressure at the best of times, and there's seldom been a moment in which Giroud hasn't been under scrutiny since completing his move from Montpellier in 2012.

That being said, seeing a winger take one's place as the outright leader of the attack will have been a bitter pill to swallow, and Wenger will now be seeking more than simply on-pitch ability from his out-of-favour forward.

Hassan Ammar/Associated Press

If Giroud is ever to win back his place in the squad, he'll need to continue making use of every minute he is awarded.

At the very least, the 29-year-old still has an admirer in the form of national team boss Deschamps, but he'll require a few more friends if he's to make his way back to the front of Wenger's priorities.