Has Olivier Giroud Re-Established His Place in Arsenal's Starting XI?

Since Robin van Persie's exit from the Emirates Stadium in summer 2012, following a season in which the Dutchman scored 37 goals in 48 appearances, Arsenal have taken heat for their reticence to spend extravagantly on a marquee center-forward.

From Karim Benzema to Edinson Cavani, the Gunners are often linked with Europe's best strikers, but manager Arsene Wenger has resisted the temptation and used more economical means of acquiring goals.

His thinking seems to be: "If I have a solid midfield, that retains possession and creates multiple chances, all I need from my strikers is competency, not necessarily world-class ability." It saves his club money and usually gets results, but when one's system fails to get results, supreme talent is often required.

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Theo Walcott has emerged as Arsenal's primary center-forward option this season. The Englishman's pace and counterattacking threat provides space for his midfield colleagues while opposing center-backs must be ever conscious of his movements behind them.

A natural winger, this is Wenger's go-to move. He has attempted in the past to convert wide men into strikers, most successfully with Premier League great Thierry Henry—Walcott is simply his next edition of the same theory. The issue is, however, Henry was a one-off.

Walcott, while able to stretch and pull defenses, lacks the a crucial trait every legitimate center-forward has: being clinical in front of goal. Improvements have been made the more he has been issued Arsenal's No. 9 role, but the fact remains Walcott is a winger is a striker's body, while the reverse was true of Henry.

Left on the beach during this experiment is Olivier Giroud. Arguably Arsenal's only natural center-forward, his position in the Gunners' attacking hierarchy has come into question based solely on scarcity. If the only preferred striker is on the bench, exactly what hope can their be?

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Bought for £12 million three years ago, as a precaution for Van Persie's Manchester United move, the Frenchman has proved a largely successful acquisition. Forty-seven goals in 108 appearances, while not earth-shattering, is certainly respectable, especially considering his price tag.

Being benched for Walcott, though, would dent the pride of any natural striker.

Speaking with French publication Le Parisien (via Sky Sports), the 29-year old discussed this season's roller coaster of events:

"

I understood the coach's tactical choice, but after four games, I needed to turn things around.

I told myself, 'I can't let this last'. It wasn't good for me, for the national team or for the Euros. I didn't want to spend the whole season on the bench.

It made me react.

"

In his last seven appearances for the Gunners, Giroud has scored five goals.

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Just when he received his reintroduction to Arsenal's starting XI, competition was removed. Walcott suffered an injury against Sheffield Wednesday in the League Cup on Oct. 27—David Hytner of the Guardian suggests the 26-year-old will be out until December.

This should provide the France international an extended run of games just before the holiday schedule.

The question for Wenger becomes: "When Walcott returns, do I continue Giroud or bench him again?" That answer is largely dependent on whether the mammoth Frenchman delivers Arsenal goals and makes the manager's choice simple.

Walcott, however, makes life easier for his team-mate in one vital aspect. When he runs defenders ragged for an hour, Giroud's inclusion into matches becomes much smoother. Having the ability to bully drained center-backs with physicality, the 29-year-old is able to impose himself much faster from the bench.

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His combination of aerial and 18-yard box prowess is nearly unmatched in the Premier League. There are strikers with one trait, but the combination is rare.

Always making the correct runs (whether near or far post) and linking play with his 6'4" frame, Giroud is the only player on Arsenal's books who can do what he does.

Wenger wanting that option on his bench makes sense, but if football is (as it likes to purport) a meritocracy, he cannot exactly be benched on current form.

So to answer our title question: Yes, Giroud has re-established himself in Wenger's starting XI. But just as oddly as he left it the first time, he could leave it once more.

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*Stats via WhoScored.com; transfer fees via Soccerbase where not noted.