Tag: Michy Batshuayi

Is it time that Olivier Giroud and Chelsea Part Ways?

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Frank Lampard enters his second season as manager of Chelsea and comes off an impressive year where he finished in a top four spot in the English Premier League. In doing so, Chelsea qualified for the Champions League for a second straight season and did this with the loss of their star player, Eden Hazard. The Belgian was sold to Real Madrid as he wanted to play under Zinedine Zidane. Additionally, a transfer ban last summer restricted Chelsea from purchasing players and strengthening their squad.

The youth academy finally became a focal point as young touted players such as Mason Mount and Tammy Abraham finally had their chance to showcase their skills. Mount and Abraham each flourished in their first season in the EPL as they scored seven and fifteen goals, respectively. They have continued that trend into their second season and have excelled.

With the transfer ban no longer an issue this season, the summer transfer market was boisterous for Chelsea. The Blues caught many by surprise with their marquee signings as they were able to sign elite players such as Timo Werner and Kai Havertz. To add to the mix, Abraham has started to emerge as an elite striker so Lampard has plenty of options at centre-forward.

So where does this leave Olivier Giroud? The Frenchman signed a one-year deal last season to extend his stay with the Blues but this decision has backfired. He has started in five of their twenty-one matches in all competitions this season and regularly appeared as a substitute. In recent times, he has grown frustrated and has fallen down the pecking order. The forward needs to play more if he is to secure his spot in the Euros for France come June.

Giroud has mentioned that he’s grown frustrated and that he will decide on his future come January 2021. Lampard wants the forward to stay, however, Chelsea will not get in the way if he decides to leave. Since arriving from Arsenal, Giroud has helped Chelsea win a FA Cup and the Europa League.

Near the midway point of the season, Mitchy Batshuayi was the backup to Abraham and Giroud was third in line.

Batshuayi’s performances declined back in February and this prompted Lampard to move Giroud behind Abraham.  He too was struggling as scoring and his inability to finish started to become an issue. While this compounded midway through the season, this gave Giroud an opportunity to make his mark as the number one choice for his manager.

Although Abraham recovered from injuries before Project Restart, he faltered down the latter part of the season as he scored twice in their final 13 appearances (between the EPL and FA Cup).

Rumoured to be joining clubs such as Inter Milan, Lazio and Tottenham Hotspurs last January, this never materialized as the Frenchman stayed with Chelsea for the remainder of the season. Had he left, Lampard’s options would have been Abraham and Batshuayi and, with the latter no longer part of his plans, he couldn’t afford to lose Giroud without a sufficient replacement. In April, Giroud renewed his contract and decided to stay an additional season with the Blues.

While Giroud wasn’t a starter last season, he still showed determination when Lampard called upon him to enter as a substitute. The Frenchman proved himself and was inserted in the staring lineup when the season re-started. He provided stability up front and scored eight goals in thirteen EPL matches and one goal in the FA Cup Semi-Finals.

Fast forward to this season and Giroud found himself in a situation he didn’t want to be in. He was in a lesser role with Chelsea now that Havertz and Werner joined the club. Along with the emergence of Abraham, the Frenchman had every reason to leave the club. In recent times, that hasn’t been the case as Werner, Havertz and Abraham are struggling as they’ve been in poor form.

He wants to secure his spot in the upcoming Euros with France and also play regularly. That may be a possibility as the Frenchman is having another good season with the Blues. He has scored eight goals in fourteen games across all competitions and is on pace to surpass his numbers from last season.

Earlier this season, Giroud played a meaningful part in Chelsea’s 2-1 win over Stade Rennais F.C. in the Champions League as he scored the winner in the dying moments. A great moment for the Frenchman and the Blues which shows the kind of player they have, yet he will need a more significant role with the club if he is to stay.

“I think everybody feels from the outside what a great professional [Giroud] is and how highly regarded he is by his teammates and by myself,” said Lampard.

“And for him to get a goal, you’ve seen the reaction of his teammates, he’s so professional in how he trains and looks after himself that age isn’t even a factor.

“Even though he doesn’t play all the time,” he continued.

“I hope and I think he knows that I’m happy with him and how much I rely on him.”

His time with the Blues will always be remembered for scoring pivotal goals and helping them win two important trophies. Chelsea have gone in a new direction with young talented players that will become the future of this club. Yet, if Werner’s struggles persist and Lampard continues to be reluctant to use Havertz as a number nine, this will leave him with just Abraham.

Lampard wants Giroud to stay so what looked like a bad situation may have changed its course for the Frenchman to reconsider leaving. However, if he is to leave, let’s take a moment to be thankful and grateful for his time with Chelsea. He arrived to Chelsea leaving with trophies, scoring pivotal goals and becoming a Blue’s player to remember and love.

Olivier Giroud Secures The Three Points For Chelsea – 3 takeaways

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Olivier Giroud Secures The Three Points For Chelsea

Chelsea put their recent outing against Sheffield United behind them and put forth a dominant performance against Norwich City.

Olivier Giroud was the difference-maker for Chelsea and delivered the game winning goal.

The win secured three crucial points for the Blues, who are trying to solidify a spot into Champions League next season. Manchester United, Leicester City and Wolverhampton are all within striking distance and Chelsea cannot afford to have any slip ups.

So, what did we learn from this match?

Olivier Giroud Steps Up For Chelsea

Prior to the resumption of the league, Giroud appeared in nine league matches. Tammy Abraham was Frank Lampard’s first starter and Michy Batshuayi was the second choice to replace Abraham. This left Giroud as the third choice, which minimized his playing time.

Abraham’s recent poor form and struggles, along with Batshuayi’s poor performance against Manchester United back in February, has given Giroud his opportunity.  Since the restart, he has become the number one choice and this has paid off immensely.  

In their past seven matches, Giroud has scored four goals with three of them being game winners. For the first time in his career with Chelsea, he scored in three straight league starts. The striker has helped the Blues earn nine crucial points as they try to earn a spot into Champions League. Giroud, once again, put forth a superb performance.

“He is always going to give you a desire to get in there for the team [Chelsea],” Lampard said.

“He had a few half chances in the central area. That is what you have to do when he is in the team – use his attributes. He has scored important goals. He has never given me a problem, always trained well. His professionalism is always good.”

Giroud’s presence was noticeable throughout the match as he was very physical and aggressive inside the goal area. He won six aerial duels, had eight shots on goal and converted one key pass. He made countless runs towards the goal area and made it difficult for the Norwich defense. His recent play has earned the respect of Lampard and further advanced Chelsea towards their goal (Champions League).

Tim Krul Makes The Score Line Look Better

Norwich struggled to advance into Chelsea’s final third as the Canaries finished with two shots on goal. They had a possession rate of 32%, yet failed to sustain any pressure on Chelsea’s backend. It was the performance of Tim Krul who made the score line look more deceiving. The goalkeeper made hard fought saves on Giroud, Christian Pulsic and Marcos Alonso. He showed great awareness, made timely challenges and was well positioned to make key saves.

Chelsea finished with a possession rate of 68% and had 22 shots on goal. The Blues successfully converted six shots on target that came from close range and needed Krul to be firm and alert. It was a lackluster performance from Norwich, who were officially relegated after their recent loss against West Ham United. Krul has been one of the most encouraging signs in a Norwich’s frustrating season.

Marcos Alonso Delivers A Strong Performance

Chelsea’s recent 3-0 loss versus Sheffield United led Lampard to make five changes to his lineup. Alonso, who hasn’t started since July 1st versus West Ham, was reinserted into the lineup. The fullback was benched for the subsequent two matches after his poor outing against the Hammers. The decision paid off as the Spaniard put forth a quality performance.

From the start of the match, Alonso was fully engaged with his speed, movement and quick runs down the left flank. He showed good awareness and was very decisive and accurate with his delivery into the box. He converted five of seven crosses into the goal area and created scoring opportunities for the Blues. In the second half, he came close to setting up Chelsea’s second goal. The fullback delivered a pass across the box where Azpilicueta made a run with plenty of space to work with and his shot sailed just over the crossbar.

Alonso was sound and alert in the backend where he made safe decisions in clearing the ball away from danger and limited Norwich’s chances. He was tentative on both ends of the field which was encouraging to see. At a critical stage in their season, Alonso stepped up at the right time.