Olivier Giroud Talks Mesut Ozil, Arsenal and France Criticism Ahead of Euro 2016

Olivier Giroud believes all of Arsenal's players, including Mesut Ozil, must take responsibility for the Gunners' title failure this year and believes he perhaps does not get the recognition he deserves.

According to French outlet L'Equipe (h/t Charlie Phillippe of the Express), he said:

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Our problems were collective. I've been less efficient compared to the first half of the season, but it is same for all the players, either Ozil or another.

We mostly talk about the striker because you are at the end of the line. 

I didn't play well in some matches, it's true, but I was also present in very important matches, against Leicester for example.

In the Champions League, if we qualified from the first knockout round it was also through my hat-trick against Olympiakos.

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The striker went on a barren 15-game Premier League run in the second half of the season before discovering his form once again in the final two games, bringing his tally to 16 overall.

Similarly, Ozil finished the campaign with 19 assists in the league, but picked up just three of those in 2016.

Per Metro Sport, the German seemed to agree with the notion that Giroud was responsible for him failing to pick up more assists: 

He was certainly still creating opportunities—according to Squawka he provided his team-mates with 4.27 chances per 90 minutes, finishing the season having made 144 overall.

However, while Giroud's goalless run certainly played a significant part, Arsenal were simply not good enough all over the pitch and lacked the mental strength to sustain a title challenge—something they must all be accountable for, as should manager Arsene Wenger.

The 29-year-old, who got 24 goals and six assists in all competitions, believes his talents are not always recognised. Per France Football (h/t Get French Football News), he said:

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In terms of my unusual path, my profile, it is true that the way that people look at me can be different. I always have to be at my best in order to be recognised. My route here is different to players who make it very early and who are destined to have great careers.

Somewhere along the way, it was in times of adversity that I built myself. I have always known difficulties in my career. I went to go and get things. It is written that I will always have to prove myself, again and again.

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Giroud further revealed the importance of feeling supported by his managers, Wenger and France boss Didier Deschamps:

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Loved, that is a very big word, that is saved for my family, but to be supported my managers, yes. Of course you want to please, to feel, in quotation marks, loved and to have people’s confidence. I need it.

All players need it. Ok, maybe strikers need it more, they are the players who are most targeted by the general public and by the media. There is no doubt that we need more affection than others. Aside from that, it stops there.

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With Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema not selected for France's Euro 2016 squad, Giroud's inclusion has come in for criticism from some sections of the French support.

Per L'Equipe (h/t Tom Williams of the Agence France-Presse), the forward is unhappy with the treatment he's received from some supporters but accepts it comes with the territory of playing for a side with Benzema among their attacking options:

Indeed, Les Bleues also boast Antoine Griezmann, Andre-Pierre Gignac and Anthony Martial among their strikers for Euro 2016, giving them arguably the most potent attacking lineup at the tournament—and that's without Benzema or Kevin Gameiro, who bagged 29 goals for Sevilla this season.

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Per France Football (h/t Get French Football News), he added:

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It is something that has always been part of footballers’ lives, even more so for me, because my path is different. Nothing has ever been easy for me, that is why I owe my success to my mental strength.

Today, there are people who like Giroud, others less so. Yesterday, it was the same, and there will be other moments like that. There will always be moments like that. I am forced to live with that.

"

The Arsenal striker started and scored for France in Monday's friendly with Cameroon as he helped make a case for a starting berth in their opening game against Romania. Griezmann was unavailable having played 120 minutes in the UEFA Champions League final on Saturday, so his return to the squad puts Giroud's chances of starting in doubt.

Giroud does offer an aerial advantage his team-mates do not, and his link-up play is also strong, so whether he starts or not he's likely to feature at some point.

Ideally, his situation with France will mirror that with Arsenal next season—he is one of several capable strikers and not relied upon as the main source of goals in the team. Giroud can still be an excellent squad player for the Gunners, but they still need to recruit another striker to take some of the responsibility off his shoulders.