Ian Wright blasts Graeme Souness for being 'disrespectful' toward FIFA World Cup star with his analysis
Arsenal legend Ian Wright has slammed Graeme Souness for his impudent analysis of France's FIFA World Cup star Olivier Giroud.
Giroud has already scored three times during the tournament in Qatar. His current campaign has turned out to be a lot better than the last one as the former Arsenal and Chelsea attacker failed to register his name on the scoresheet in Russia. France won the tournament on that occasion.
Despite Giroud's good performance in Qatar, Souness didn't forget about the Frenchman's lackluster 2018 campaign. The pundit claimed that Giroud is only playing because of Karim Benzema's absence due to injury.
He previously spoke on ITV (via Mirror):
“I’m not his [Giroud’s] biggest fan. I’m just not. Seven games in the last World Cup, he’s a center-forward in the team that wins it, he’s not had a shot on target. I think he’s very lucky. When you mention him in the same breath as Thierry Henry, I’m sorry.
"I would say his record is there for one reason and one reason only: Karim Benzema being out for such a long time, all the controversy he was involved in.”
#Qatar2022
Olivier Giroud, best goalscorer in the history of France with 52 goals. ⭐️🇫🇷 #Qatar2022 https://t.co/hnbeb5YtiN
Wright, however, blasted Souness for his assessment. He believes Giroud has an important role in Didier Deschamps' system and deserves credit for his performances in the 2022 FIFA World Cup. He said:
“We have to give Olivier Giroud praise. He’s broken Thierry Henry’s record and long may that last, although it won’t be long with the way Kylian Mbappe is going. The thing with Giroud, you see the total lack of respect he gets. Graeme Souness was so disrespectful to him as a player and his goalscoring record. He didn’t give him any credit."
Wright added:
"This guy was in the third tier of French football at 21. Arsene Wenger has said Giroud has had to earn every single thing he’s done to this point. All Souness was saying was 'He didn’t hit the target in the 2018 World Cup.'
"Giroud is essential to every team he’s played in. Goals don’t define him. This is what people like Graeme Souness don’t understand. He’s so integral to the team, he’s integral to what players like Mbappe and Dembele do."
When will Olivier Giroud and France return to action in the 2022 FIFA World Cup?
Olivier Giroud's France have already qualified for the quarter-finals of the 2022 FIFA World Cup. A 3-1 win against Poland, in which Giroud opened the scoring, sealed their birth in the last eight.
Les Bleus will return to action on 11 December as they take on Gareth Southgate's England in an enthralling contest. Southgate's side are still unbeaten in the 2022 FIFA World Cup and are coming off a 3-0 win against Senegal in the Round of 16.
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ENGLAND VS. FRANCE IN THE QUARTERFINALS 👀🍿 https://t.co/0K2Frk3KAU