Giroud eyes leading role
Striker’s audition at Spurs
AFTER nearly two decades winning the battle with Tottenham for north London supremacy, Arsene Wenger is watching another healthy rivalry take shape.
This time it is within his own squad as Olivier Giroud and Theo Walcott wrestle with each to become firstchoice striker in the manager’s mind as Arsenal plot their way through a tricky spell of fixtures.
Wenger’s team are in unusual territory as they head into this evening’s Capital One Cup tie at White Hart Lane, on the verge of a third successive defeat after setbacks against Dinamo Zagreb and Chelsea.
They usually have the upper hand over Spurs, but Mauricio Pochettino will be hoping to capitalise on the return of old insecurities to the Arsenal defence.
Giroud, who was sent off in the Maksimir Stadium last week, is expected to start in front of Walcott this evening.
Wenger said: ‘ With Giroud it is a competition with Walcott. When one plays people always ask, “Why did you not play the other one?”
‘When you have two top-level strikers, some games Giroud plays and some games Walcott plays. Nobody can play 60 games per season any more. What we want to do is make the right decision for the right game.
‘Giroud is a guy who has a positive attitude, who is ready to have a go. He is a very strong man and with his back to the wall Giroud can always respond. For two guys it can be interesting for the squad as they both have different qualities. They complement each other very well.’
Giroud has scored twice this season, both in the Premier League, but his all-round game is far superior to Walcott. He must take this chance at White Hart Lane. Arsenal’s indisci- pline cost them in their opening Champions League fixture last week and they finished Saturday’s 2-0 defeat in the Premier League at Chelsea with nine men.
Gabriel’s red card has since been rescinded following a magnanimous decision by the FA’s disciplinary commission and he is available to face Spurs in this third-round tie.
Wenger added: ‘We were unfortunate in Zagreb to have a man sent off, and at Chelsea as well, but you want your players to behave in a perfect way and not to show any response at all. We have shown our frustration a little bit in both situations and you cannot afford that.’
Arsenal face a Tottenham team who reached the final last year, beaten by Chelsea in a largely one-sided clash at Wembley. Pochettino admitted he deliberately kept his players out on the field to watch Chelsea lift the Capital One Cup.
The Tottenham manager said: ‘You can always learn from the defeat and this is the feeling you don’t want to repeat again.’
Of tonight’s clash, he added: ‘It’s more than only going to the next round of the Capital One Cup . . . it has a massive effect.’