Arsenal striker Olivier Giroud sends message to Arsene Wenger over time on the bench

Olivier Giroud revealed he found his time on the Arsenal bench difficult

ARSENAL star Olivier Giroud has admitted that it was difficult sitting on the bench, but believes his spell out of the team has made him stronger.

 

The striker was dropped by Arsene Wenger in September with Theo Walcott given a chance to impress as a loan striker.

But the 29-year-old, who put in a string of solid performances from the bench, has now regained his place in the starting XI after Walcott suffered an injury, and he believes his time out of the side has made him work harder.

“After the fact, you could say that it was beneficial,” Giroud told Le Parisien. “I made a solid comeback and I’m even stronger again. You always need a little shot in the arm when you’re feeling comfortable.

 

Giroud gained his place back in the starting line up after Theo Walcott suffered an injury

“It’s always good to question yourself… it’s not a bad thing, from time to time, to be faced with your responsibilities.

“You have to remain focused on the basics and never give up. You have to respond when you’re called upon.

“You have to be hungry and your mental strength has to come to the fore. It’s not easy. 

 

“It wasn’t a period of famine where I was saying to myself ‘do I still know how to score goals?’

“I understood the tactical decision of the coach. But after four matches in a row on the bench, I had to reverse the trend.

“I said to myself ‘it can’t go on all the same.’ It wasn’t good for me, for the France team or for (my chance at) the European Championships.

“I didn’t want to spend the whole season on the bench. All of that made me react.”