da spicy bet： For all the doom and gloom surrounding Arsenal at the minute, many of their issues can be boiled down to just one relatively simple problem – away form.
da dobrowin： The Gunners are currently 17th in the Premier League’s away table, taking just one point from four games while conceding seven goals.
With such a vast and varied squad at his disposal though, Arsene Wenger does have the tools to address his side’s poor results on the road, starting with the trip to Goodison Park on Sunday where Arsenal will face an Everton team hopelessly out of form.
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And the first player to call upon in that regard is Olivier Giroud, who has appeared as a substitute in all of the north London outfit’s league fixtures but is still awaiting a first start of the season in the top flight.
In comparison to club-record signing Alexandre Lacazette – the Frenchman, valued at £45million by Transfermarkt, is still awaiting an away goal for his new club – Giroud offers the height, power and aerial threat to allow a more direct approach, holding up the ball to bring midfielders into the game on the counter-attack.
That was evident last night as Arsenal secured a 1-0 win over Red Star Belgrade in a tricky Europa League away fixture.
The 68-cap France international grabbed the only goal of the evening, finishing off a fine Arsenal move with a stunning finish, but provided that physical presence his side have often lacked in the final third away from home – winning two headers, drawing four fouls and touching the ball eight times in the opposition box.
Considering how poor Arsenal have been on the road this season, it’s clearly time for a change this weekend. And as things stand, Giroud is the likeliest candidate to make a difference. Would you start him over Lacazette on Sunday? Let us know by voting below…