GIROUD MAKES A POINT
Legend’s ‘brutal’ barbs provide France striker with extra motivation ahead of Belgium showdown
‘He may not have the flamboyant style — but the team needs him’
WHEN Olivier Giroud was taking flak at Arsenal, one taunt stuck and it came from Thierry Henry. ‘Can you win the league with him?’ asked Henry. ‘I wouldn’t think so. He does a job, and he does it ever so well, but you can’t win the league.’
Giroud called it ‘brutal’ and confessed his pride had been hurt.
‘It brings into question the work you do every day,’ he added. ‘I was a little annoyed.’
The thing is, you can win the FA Cup with him. In fact, Giroud has become something of an FA Cup specialist, winning it three times in his six years with Arsenal.
He won it again with Chelsea, after a move across London which has energised him at the age of 31.
From starting last season on the fringes at the Emirates, he ended it as the first-choice centre-forward at Stamford Bridge ahead of record signing Alvaro Morata.
Giroud went to the World Cup and Morata didn’t, selected by Didier Deschamps ahead of Arsenal’s Alexandre Lacazette.
He started on the bench in the first game against Australia. But France have played with more fluency since he came into the team and eased the pressure on Antoine Griezmann and Kylian Mbappe.
Deschamps’ team have gathered momentum, sweeping past Argentina and Uruguay and into the semi-finals where they will come up against Belgium, where Henry is on the coaching staff. Giroud will require little motivation.
The big question is: Can you win the World Cup with ‘him’? After all, he has not scored in his last seven appearances for his country.
‘When you are a striker like me you always play for the teammates,’ said Giroud.
‘I prefer to have chances and score but if I can make space for the others, I always try to choose the best option for the team. If we are World Cup champions without me scoring, I don’t mind.
‘It means, if I’m on the pitch, the boss thinks I can help the team and I’ve got my part to play. That’s the main thing.
‘When France were world champions in 1998, I think (Christophe) Dugarry scored one goal and (Stephane) Guivarc’h not at all.’
Henry should know. He was there, a young winger when the French ruled the world 20 years ago, before he became a centre-forward and an Arsenal goal-scoring legend.
Deschamps was there, too, captain of that magnificent team, and he certainly appreciates Giroud’s contribution.
‘It’s true Olivier hasn’t scored yet,’ said the France boss. ‘I repeat yet.
‘He is important for our style and he has made assists. We need this supporting play. It’s good if he scores, but Olivier is always very generous and doesn’t complain about working hard.
‘He does many things, in the air, in defence, he attracts a lot of attention from the defenders near to him and the players around him benefit. He might not have the flamboyant style but the team needs him, even if he doesn’t score.’ When he brought Giroud into the team at the expense of Ousmane Dembele, Deschamps moved Mbappe wide where he has proved able to exploit the open spaces and threaten the goal coming inside with his pace. The teenager has scored three and will pose problems for Belgium behind the wing-back if Roberto Martinez persists with a back-three in tomorrow’s semifinal in St Petersburg.
‘From the right side, he (Mbappe) can use his best qualities,’ said Giroud. ‘With his skills and his speed, he’s very precious for us. We’ve got different qualities up front and a good understanding, very complementary.’
Griezmann, accustomed to playing off Diego Costa at Atletico Madrid, has also been far more comfortable and made one and scored one, taking his tally to three in the tournament, in a 2-0 win against Uruguay on Friday.
‘We feel very well on the pitch,’ said Giroud.
‘We have a nice team cohesion
outside the pitch, but you can see we are taking a lot of pleasure on the pitch.
‘We just try to enjoy the game, all committed with the same targets and, after Argentina, we have shown we are ready.
‘I’m still happy no matter if I score or not. I try to give my best for the team. I keep the goals for the semifinal and maybe the final.’
Should that prove to be the case, there could be no better way to prove his point to Henry.
Yet the irony of having one of France’s all-time soccer greats, plotting his own country’s downfall at the World Cup in Russia, has not been lost on Deschamps, who calls it a bizarre situation.
When France go up against Belgium tomorrow, the 40-year-old Henry will be on the opposing bench, looking to stop his country from advancing to Sunday’s final.
‘It’s bizarre because he’s French and will be on the opponent’s bench,’ said Deschamps.
‘But he is someone I really appreciate. I’m happy for him.’
Henry, who scored 51 goals in 123 international appearances, played for France at four World Cups in all. He was a runner-up in 2006 and also competed in 2002 and 2010.
However, for the last two years he has been serving as one of Martinez’s assistants, his first foray into coaching and seemingly an inspired choice if the rave reviews from the Belgian players are anything to go by.
‘Thierry is really important for us. He tells us stories from his playing days and they inspire us. If he says something, it always turns out to be something helpful. His presence, his World Cup experience, it is all a very positive influence,’ said Belgium defender Toby Alderweireld.
‘He will want us to come out on top,’ added Kevin De Bruyne after Martinez’s side beat Brazil on Friday night to book their semi-final spot. ‘He always tries to help us win games.’
France feel Henry will be happy with any outcome on Tuesday.
‘If we win, he will also be happy because he is a Frenchman,’ said France defender Lucas Hernandez.
‘All France knows him, what an icon for football. We just hope he doesn’t beat us in this semi-final.’