Arsène Wenger ponders failure of Olivier Giroud to win over English

He added to his hat-trick from Wednesday’s 3-0 Champions League win at Olympiacos and Wenger says the 29-year-old deserves some credit.

Today, Arsenal Manager Arsene Wenger publicly backed his player, and told all the critics just how underrated a player Giroud really is. Arsenal’s season has had a distinctly “Arsenal” feel to it at times this season.

Since his appointment in early November, Garde’s Aston Villa side have picked up just two points in five games, leaving the side stuck at the bottom of the Premier League table, nine points from safety.

‘This lad is getting a taste and he’ll want to play football, and he won’t get that at Arsenal unless they have a lot of injuries. But it can’t be forgotten that it was not so long ago that Walcott was shining in the same position.

Villa were incensed with the award of Arsenal’s early penalty which referee Kevin Friend took his time to award. A change of mind gave Giroud the chance to give Arsenal the lead and he steered a left-footed shot past Brad Guzan as the Aston Villa goalkeeper dived the other way.

The Gunners were comfortable as the home side rarely threatened.

It was little surprise when they got their reward with a breakaway goal seven minutes before the break that was started and finished by Ramsey.

Ozil’s dummy as he ran onto Walcott’s pass sold the Villa defence and he was unselfish enough to pass for Ramsey to tap in. The German looked up and teed up Ramsey to strike home with the tap in.

His tackle deep in his own half set up Arsenal’s second – which he scored – to seal the points against Villa and send Arsenal top.

It was his 13th assist of the season.

“There is no doubt in my mind that the Wales worldwide features far more in Arsenal’s build-up play when they are not around”. Wenger’s men have come close before, but have always been bettered by someone more consistent. Being knocked out by a superior Champions League side in the last 16 is par for the course, but with no Premier League team looking better than any of the title contenders, then winning the league is possible for Arsenal this season.

Giroud’s penalty was his ninth league goal of the campaign, and fifth in his last three matches in all competitions. We’ve scored eight goals and I think it was a fantastic week.

“It was a flawless week for us”, Wenger said.

Moyes said: “I think the jury’s still out on Mesut Ozil”.

“I believe [Olivier Giroud] he is at the top of his game and he is questioned sometimes”.

“Seeing Cech level the clean sheets record, Wenger knows that he will go past the 169 clean sheets tally”. “We were all in the game, we were all concentrated to get this one point at the end and it felt like three”.

” It is mentally good because we had a good week”.