Olivier Giroud: The Unlikely Gift That Just Keeps On Giving


Well, it's official. Olivier Giroud has signed a contract extension with Chelsea, keeping him at the club until 2021. In one of the most bizarre stories of the year for the Blues, the disgruntled World Cup winner who by January had only started two games for the club is returning to Stamford Bridge once again.

The 33-year-old joined Chelsea from rival club Arsenal in January 2018, as part of a three-team striker swap which sent Michy Batshuayi on loan to Dortmund. When he first arrived, he was considered the backup option to expensive record signing Alvaro Morata, who underwhelmed during his stint at Stamford Bridge.

In the second half of his first season, he only started six times, but he seemed to usually deliver when called upon, including two brilliant performances against Southampton: in the first, he announced himself with a brace off the bench to cap a remarkable 3-2 win, and in the second he scored a sensational solo goal in the FA Cup semifinals.

However, the most important part of his success at Chelsea was his understanding with Eden Hazard. The two combined brilliantly, as Giroud was the perfect target man to complement Hazard's dribbling and movement. This understanding carried Chelsea through to an unlikely FA Cup win over Manchester United.

The following season, the same pattern continued, except now Giroud was the starter in the Europa League, where he shined, while Morata continued to disappoint as the main starter in the Premier League. Even when Morata wasn't playing well, manager Maurizio Sarri preferred to play Hazard as a false 9 rather than start World-Cup winner Giroud.

In January 2019, Chelsea's striker turnover continued, with Morata finally departing to Atletico Madrid and being replaced by Gonzalo Higuain. The Argentine, much like Morata, began brightly but after a few games lost form and his performances suffered.

Through all this, Giroud was still scoring with regularity in the Europa League, becoming the top scorer of the competition heading into the knockout stages. Still, he as relegated to a reserve role in the Premier League as Sarri continued to trust Higuain.

Throughout the entire season, Giroud started seven games in the league. Every other option was failing and he still only started seven games. Seven.

Giroud led his team to a victory over his old club Arsenal in the Europa League final, bagging a goal and two assists, and soon after it was confirmed Higuain would not be staying at the club. Giroud had successfully beaten out another source of competition and was currently the only striker at the club.

On top of that, the Blues had a transfer ban, so they could not bring anyone in. This season would finally be his chance to cement his starting role, right? Wrong.

Not only did Batshuayi return from yet another loan, but young prospect Tammy Abraham was promoted and given the No. 9 shirt, a clear signal of intent. Abraham started the season in brilliant form, and Batshuayi was not so far behind, so Giroud was now the third-choice striker, sitting in the stands some games, and understandably so.

However, while Abraham's form has been largely impressive this season, Batshuayi's clearly dipped. Barring two important goals against Ajax and Man United, he has not performed so far. He has been trying to do too much, has not been able to hold the ball up effectively, and has been sloppy with his distribution. Still, he continued to get the chance to perform while Giroud was in the reserves.

During the beginning of the season, he was mostly an unused sub, but his relationship with the club reached its tipping point when he was left out of the squad for ten consecutive games. This took a toll on him, and especially with Euro 2020 around the corner, he realized he needed to either get game time, or leave:

"I cannot be happy with what I have at the moment. I want to enjoy myself and play matches," Giroud said in October, visibly frustrated. "That could be for Chelsea- who are my first choice- or elsewhere. But if they force me to make a decision I will do it- just like when I left Arsenal."

Giroud gave Chelsea fair warning, but nothing changed by the time the January window rolled around, so the Frenchman did what he said he would and requested a transfer. Manager Frank Lampard accepted, but only if they found a replacement. Chelsea looked at multiple options to sign in January, but nothing materialized, leaving both Lampard and Giroud unhappy.

The Chelsea higher-ups had now managed to construct a situation where the manager was evidently upset with the lack of signings, shown by his statements to the press, and a striker who clearly stated his intention to leave was still kicking dust in the stands.

Suddenly, as these things tend to happen, everything changed. Abraham went down with an injury in the 2-2 draw against Arsenal, which forced Lampard to call upon Giroud. Giroud was not called up against Leicester, as Abraham tried to give it another go, but it was clear that he could not play the following game, which was against United on February 17th.

Giroud was not given the start, but he was brought in from the cold, finally at least making the bench as Batshuayi started. The Belgian put in one of his worst performances of the season, missing several key chances, and he was replaced by Giroud after nearly 70 minutes.

Within the first few minutes of his first competitive game since November, Giroud set up Mateo Kovacic for a one-on-one opportunity which was miraculously stopped by Eric Bailly, and put the ball in the net himself, only to be harshly called offside by less than a toe.

In a game marred by the deficiencies of VAR, Giroud impressed all Chelsea fans, including Lampard, and proved he was more than worthy of a chance. Giroud was delighted to be back in the team, and he vowed to keep fighting:

"I want to give everything for the team. I am 100% focused on Chelsea and their targets," the Frenchman said. "Every single game is a big opportunity for me to show my desire to come back."

A combination of a lack of options and his previous performance led to him getting the start in a must-win game against London rivals Tottenham Hotspur. In only his third start of the season, and his first in nearly three months, he played a brilliant game, most importantly scoring the winning goal with a venomous left-footed volley.

After scoring his first goal of the season, Giroud admitted he was relieved to finally break his duct:

"It was a very important match for us, and for me too," Giroud told RMC Sport. "Of course, the fact that I scored a goal is a big relief for me.

He went on to start the following three games, including an impressive (although goalless) performance in an FA Cup win against European champions Liverpool and a goal against Everton in the last match before the Premier League was suspended.

When the league returns on June 17th, Abraham will be fit again, but Giroud will almost certainly have a role to play in how the season plays out for Chelsea. With a top-four finish not guaranteed, there is a lot on line, but Giroud can be trusted in big moments, as he has shown time and again.

The 33-year-old has never been a starter for Chelsea, always overshadowed by a bigger name who has largely underperformed. But they all left, and he's still here. While Abraham looks the real deal, Giroud will also be here next season to keep him on his toes, and teach the youngster part of his trade.

He has been counted out his entire career for the Blues, but he always prevailed, and even if the club signs a new striker this summer, Giroud will still be here, and when called upon will still be able to produce when it matters.

He did it this season against Spurs, he did it last season in the Europa League, and he did it the season before in the FA Cup. Giroud is a winner, and a champion. It's just in his blood.

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