Giroud: With a manager like Arsene Wenger in charge, I’m definitely in good hands.

By Mugais Jahangir.

Olivier Giroud is pleased to be at Arsenal FC and is proud to follow the footsteps of the greats that have been a part of this club. In an interview with FIFA.com, Giroud also talked about Arsene Wenger, Eden Hazard and Robin van Persie.

"Even as a young boy, I dreamed of playing in the Premier League. Remember, there were several big-name French players doing well at Arsenal at the time, guys like Patrick Vieira, Sylvain Wiltord, Robert Pires, Thierry Henry, among others, and that made an impression on me. I’m very proud to follow in the footsteps of all those ‘Frenchies’, and I hope to make my mark at the club as well. I really am pleased with my decision to come here."

On Arsene Wenger and how he was a key factor in his decision to sign for Arsenal:

"He knows me and has confidence in me. Generally speaking, the French guys here help you to settle in pretty quickly – there are actually quite a lot of French-speaking players overall. There are lots of people you can count on if you need help with something. But you can't let that hold you back in terms of mixing with the others, and that suits me fine as I really want to improve my English and speak fluently, without having to think about what I’m about to say. Being at Arsenal will help me with my development, and with a manager like Arsene Wenger in charge, I’m definitely in good hands."

On the English Premier League:

"The atmosphere in the stadiums is pretty much what I was expecting; the support from the fans is amazing! They chant non-stop, and I felt very honoured that they even sang a little song about me when I arrived. On top of that, the fans are very knowledgeable. They applaud when you block a clearance, when you drop back to help in defence, or when you put in a strong tackle. It’s actually a tremendous way of looking at the game. In terms of the quality of play, the Premier League is, in my eyes, the best league in the world. It’s very intense and demanding, and requires much more focus. I’ve not been too surprised by that, to be fair, as I used to watch English matches on TV quite often, but you just have to put all that out of your mind and go out and play." 

On his missed chances and his first goal:

"I’ve been freezing up a little bit just when I’ve been about to pull the trigger, and that’s exactly what happened in my first few matches for France. I’m not too worried about it, because I’ve been scoring in training and I feel pretty comfortable being a part of this team. I just need to not think about things too much, so that I feel as relaxed as possible when the time comes to stick the ball in the net."

"I’ve always scored goals – it’s simply a question of confidence, of ‘tenacity and dedication,’ as Marc Libbra, the ex-Marseille striker, used to say. Those two words have always stuck in my mind, as for me they sum up quite well the qualities that a forward needs to have. You can’t ever give up, and even if I sometimes show my disappointment when I miss a chance, I try to keep my head up and get on with it. You can never let doubt, which I think is a very strong word, get the better of you. When I arrived at Tours, it took me seven or eight matches to score my first goal, while at Montpellier it was four matches. I’ve only started two games for Arsenal so far. It’s definitely a step up, but I just have to remain patient and confident."

On Eden Hazard and Robin van Persie:

"I’m not at all surprised at how well Eden Hazard has settled in this league, because he’s very comfortable everywhere he goes. He’s a very good player who’s going to give Chelsea quite a boost. As for Van Persie, people seem to think it’s something that weighs on me, but I know that the manager has confidence in me. He could easily have brought in another forward when Robin left, but he didn’t. The fact that people have put their trust in me creates the best possible conditions for me to develop and score goals. I’ve even set myself a little target in terms of the number of goals I’m going to get, but I’ll keep that to myself. I’m coming in after someone who scored 30 goals last season, but who took eight years to reach that level, albeit while dealing with various injuries along the way. I feel that I have less time to establish myself and that there are more immediate expectations of me. I imagine it’ll be the same thing for Emmanuel Herrera at Montpellier. That’s how it works, that’s what the demands of top-level football are all about – you have to accept it and remain strong." 

On Abou Diaby:

"Abou is absolutely essential to how we approach games tactically at Arsenal. He’s an athletic, complete player, extremely effective at winning the ball back, but also at distributing it and driving into opposition territory. He’s a very important player for the club, but also for France, and he’s doing everything he can to leave his injury problems behind him. He’s a great professional, and it’s reassuring to play alongside him." 

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