Olivier Giroud has been one of the most impressive strikers during the FIFA World Cup 2022, as he has contributed significantly to France reaching the final and perhaps lifting the trophy, but we’ll discover that tomorrow.
Giroud is a 36-year-old forward who has had numerous different experiences at multiple clubs, beginning his career at Grenoble while having some a loan spell at Istres before moving to Tours, and then Montpellier prior to making a big move to Premier League’s Arsenal in 2012.
It was his first big step towards becoming a renowned and reliable striker for some of the top European clubs.
He won The FA Cup with them in 2013-2014, 2014-2015 and 2016-2017 as well as the FA Community Shield in 2014, 2015 and 2017 and then he moved to Chelsea in 2018 to continue his English journey in the best of ways by lifting the UEFA Europa League trophy with the Blues in the 2018–2019 season.
He then ended his Chelsea adventure on a high note by winning the 2021 UEFA Champions League after beating Manchester City in the final.
Giroud’s next move was towards the Italian Serie A and more precisely to Milan, the team with which he lifted the Scudetto last season and was one of the biggest contributors to winning it.
Milan fans will never forget his crucial derby goals, which marked the turning point in the Scudetto race from Inter to Milan.
Moreover, Giroud has already been essential for Milan during the current season, especially considering the long absence of Zlatan Ibrahimović and the fact that head coach Stefano Pioli is relying on Giroud as the teams starting striker.
However, in this tactical analysis, presented as a scout report, we will primarily focus on Giroud’s role and performance with the French national team during the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
It will also be an analysis of how his finishing and playmaking skills and abilities were fundamental to Frances tactics, enabling them to pass through the group stage and all the knockout games prior to the final.
Olivier Giroud Role with France
As the following graphic shows, Giroud has got some of the best statistics in the world in terms of goal contribution per match, which surpasses his expected goal contribution per match.
More importantly, Giroud appears to be unbeatable in the air, winning 96.4% of aerial duels, and knows how to direct his headers accurately towards his teammates who come from behind.
Giroud’s height and physical strength greatly aid him in being efficient and powerful in aerial duels and general duels.
Nevertheless, it is not only a matter of physical strength but also technique, accuracy and vision.
Giroud rarely provides inaccurate passes using headers and this represents a huge advantage for Milan and France and makes the team rely on him most of the time when using long passes.
And the secret for being so accurate with headers is his ability to scan his surroundings continuously before jumping or moving towards the ball.
Being extra solid and aggressive during these duels, especially inside the box, allows Giroud to be more dangerous and more clinical in front of goal, even when being marked, as he knows how to evade marking at the appropriate time.
In France, Giroud can be considered the main source of danger for the team as the players rely on him to finish the actions inside the box.
Most of the time, he receives passes and crosses from both wings, mainly from Theo Hernández, Kylian Mbappé, and Ousmane Dembélé, as they know very well how to serve him and when to do so.
