Olivier Giroud Can Make Arsenal History After Olympiakos Win, Says Martin Keown

Ex-Arsenal defender Martin Keown has backed Olivier Giroud to etch his name into the club's history books if he can maintain the form seen in his hat-trick display against Olympiakos in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday.

The France international scored all the Gunners' goals in a 3-0 throttling of the Greek Super League outfit, sealing Arsenal's Group F comeback and a place in the knockout stages.

Writing in his Daily Mail column on Thursday, Keown said:

"

Football clubs should feel like a home and I’m not sure Giroud feels 100 per cent at home. But when he’s on song, he is such a good attacking option.

He acts like a backboard for the rest of the team to base their attacks around.

Whether he’s the long-term answer doesn’t matter right now. He’s in possession of the shirt and he has the chance to prove people wrong. 

There will be talk in January about bringing in others but if Giroud keeps playing as he did in Greece, he has a chance to make history with Arsenal.

"

Qualification to this season's round of 16 has been dubbed Arsenal's greatest-ever Champions League resurgence, losing their opening two group matches before a win over Bayern Munich catapulted their comeback.

Giroud finished the opening round of this season's European tournament with five goals to his name, level with Bayern Munich's Thomas Muller and Luis Suarez of Barcelona.

Vincent Thian/Associated Press

His exploits against Olympiakos will go a long way to ensuring fans the club can cope in the face of an injury crisis that sees Alexis Sanchez out with a hamstring injury and Theo Walcott struggling for full fitness.

Manager Arsene Wenger has also backed his frontman to continue succeeding at the Emirates Stadium, brushing off any need for Real Madrid's Karim Benzema due to the fact he has Giroud, per BT Sport:

"

We just said that Olivier Giroud is a great striker, so behind that we cannot buy Karim Benzema.

[...]

I think [Giroud is a top striker in world football] because he plays for one of the best clubs in Europe and he scores goals. 

If you look at the number of games and the number of goals, you have to give him credit.

He's not only a goalscorer, he's a guy who puts work in for the team. I think he's among the best strikers in Europe. 

I believe recently he has come back with an improved game and with his finishing. Wednesday was one of his best performances on all fronts.

"

Giroud has 13 goals in 23 appearances across all competitions this season, including eight goals in the Premier League—three of which have come from the bench.

The 29-year-old has gone through good patches and bad since completing a move to north London from Montpellier in 2012, but team-mate Aaron Ramsey jumped on the pro-Giroud bandwagon, per Squawka:

With four goals in his last two outings for Arsenal, it's difficult to argue against the swell in praise for Giroud, but then not every opponent will be as susceptible as Olympiakos.

Bleacher Report's Tim Collins has also noted Giroud's figures contrasted against some of Europe's top names, although some of those mentioned have been limited through injury and terrible form in 2015-16:

The striker was handed only 15-minute cameos against Manchester United and Chelsea, meaning it would be unfair to criticise his failure to score in those games. However, blank displays against Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur are perhaps more deserving of the fans' ire.

It's unsurprising to see Keown among Giroud's fans following such a dazzling Olympiakos performance, but it won't be until he enjoys a sustained stretch of scoring that supporters can agree on any "world-class" tag.