Giroud off the mark, Cazorla magical

3 points away at Big Sam’s lot, 3 very good goals, Olivier Giroud’s first Premier League goal and a very encouraging all-round display. Not a bad way to enter the tedium of yet another international break.

We have traditionally struggled against Allardyce’s, shall we say, rough, style of football, so going to West Ham was always going to be tough. The return of Andy Carroll certainly wouldn’t make things any easier.

For the first time in a little while, I was completely happy with Wenger’s team selection. The return of Mertesacker was a very welcome one, both for his height and the serenity he brings to the defence. I feel Giroud’s been given a very tough time so far, I think he’s actually played quite well but the media have just completely overlooked that in favour of the much easier ‘still hasn’t scored’ story. Well, that can finally be put to rest. Thank God. His performance yesterday was by far his best so far in his fledgling Arsenal career. He displayed numerous qualities, ones you might not expect from your typical centre forward.

He almost scored twice in the opening exchanges, first forcing a good save at the near post and then having a fearsome effort blocked. You could see the anguish on his face at being denied his goal, ‘what the f**k do I have to do?’ is what I imagine was running through his head (I don’t have the French translation of that to hand). What Giroud does offer us is an outlet, his hold up play is superb, he showed us that against Liverpool and Stoke and was at it again last night.

So, as your typical target man, you might expect him to be a bit crude on the ball. Oh no, quite the opposite. His raking ball to Podolski, who then planted it straight onto the Frenchman’s more than grateful boot for the first goal, was exquisite. His through ball to Walcott for the second was perfect. He is the definition of a complete forward. I have said from the start I think he will be a very good player for us, that opinion has not changed. I hope Wenger gives him a little run in the team now, both for his confidence and his continued adaptation. Despite Gervinho’s start to the season, I still think Giroud is a much better option up top so I’d like to see him play a bit more. Also, have you seen how sexy he is? That’s got to have some kind of a positive effect on the team.

On the subject of playing more, I think Theo certainly has a case to be starting a few more games. His impact from the bench this year has been very good and his finishing has improved markedly. I think he could form a good partnership with Cazorla down that right hand side, he might just add that little bit more of a cutting edge than Gervinho. I’ve always been quite a big Walcott fan so I would be upset if he leaves.

Now, I’ve mentioned him once, but he certainly deserves much more than that. Our tiny Spaniard was magical once again. He is both a writer’s dream and nightmare at the same time. On the one side you can write about him with ease, such is the elegance with which he plays. On the other, it can be quite hard to fittingly describe the elegance with which he plays in mere words.

When Cazorla was mentioned to Wenger a big beam suddenly spread across his face. He simply said, “It is a pleasure to watch him. It’s a delight to see what he did on the pitch.” That rather sums it up quite nicely. For obvious reasons he is being hailed as Fabregas’ replacement. Whilst that’s true to the extent that they are both the ‘conductors’ of the team, as Walcott put it. They are very different players. The first big difference is their speed and movement. Cesc was not the most mobile player around and sprinting for him was mostly limited to getting into the box. Cazorla, on other hand is nippy, quick and loves to take people on. He has spent much of his career on the wing, where these qualities are essential. But it does rather seem a waste when you look at the impact he has had since Wenger has entrusted him with the creative fulcrum role.

The other big difference is their goalscoring. Fabregas was proficient, he often started moves and finished them off. Most of his goals coming from inside the box. Cazorla doesn’t score quite as many but the way he scores them… phwoah! Since 2011, no one in Europe’s top 5 leagues has scored more goals from outside the box than Cazorla. His fondness for a shot is obvious. He often shapes to shoot on the edge of the box before opting to pass and he has already come close on numerous occasions. I’ve been saying all year that it was only a matter of time before one of them flew into the top corner. Well, I’m happy to report that I was right. It was quite a way to round off the win and hopefully it will open the floodgates for him as at times he has been a touch wasteful with his finishing (please forgive me for that, Santi). There is a clear similarity between them, however. They can both pick out a pass. Cazorla’s remarkable one to Giroud in the closing stages was so good it got its own MOTD analysis segment.

If we are to be taken seriously this year this is the kind of game we need to be taking 3 points from. It’s been an encouraging start, whilst 12 points from 7 isn’t the most impressive haul. We have had a very tricky start. Away games at Stoke, Liverpool and City along with a home tie against Chelsea is not the ideal platform for a rampant start but we have coped well and given ourselves a good base to kick on after the break.