OLIVIER GIROUD has challenged Alan Shearer and other critics to explain where Arsenal need to make signings in January and he will leave their argument in tatters.
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| Olivier Giroud challenges Alan Shearer and other critics to explain why Arsenal need to sign players |
The Gunners opened up a two-point lead at the top of the table by "winning ugly" thanks to a late Laurent Koscielny goal while their closest rivals stuttered in what has become one of the least predictable Premier League seasons ever.
Manchester City's late turnaround at Watford kept some of the pressure on, which is why leading pundits think Wenger should sign a top-notch striker, a holding midfielder and a centre-back to keep their noses in front.
But Giroud was dismissive of such talk, insisting there is already more than enough in the Gunners' armoury to win their first league title for 12 years - and claim the FA Cup, which begins for them with the visit of Sunderland to the Emirates on Saturday.
"Tell me where we need new players? Just tell me where? I will explain the opposite judgment," he said. "We have very good players as well on the bench, young players waiting to come in. They are very talented.
"I am not worried about it. I know that maybe we sign a player, an Egyptian one..."
An Arsenal press officer was quick to play down speculation linking the club with a £7.4m move for Basel midfielder Mohamed Elneny. "No, not yet. It is close," he said.
But Grioud continued: "Danny Welbeck will come back in one month and a half. Theo Walcott can play up front, Joel Campbell is doing well with his national team up front. If I am less good or get injured, we still have a solution."
Certainly Arsenal showed they had the mental strength to cross the line by claiming their 100th 1-0 win in the Premier League despite a below-par performance.
"To be champions in a season - and I know that because I was a champion with Montpellier - you need talent, of course," he accepted. "But you need a bit of luck sometimes as you cannot always play a fantastic game.
"That experience will fully help me and if I can give advice to the young players, I will. The older players need to bring confidence to the youngest and lead them.
"That is what I try to do sometimes. I always encourage them and show them, maybe, in a nice way, the best solution. Sometimes they listen, sometimes they don't care!"
The Arsenal players will be given a few days off to recharge their batteries, while Newcastle manager Steve McClaren will work hard to find a striker to put the finishing touches on another encouraging but ultimately disappointing performance.
"We have been working behind the scenes - we will do tirelessly," he said. "The business that we are doing will stay private and between four walls and when we have got something to announce, we'll make sure you are the last to know!
"But if we had had Giroud we would have comfortably won the game. That's the difference and everybody is always searching for that.
"Unfortunately, at the present moment, Riviere is injured, just coming back, and Papiss Cisse, who is a goalscorer, is out for the next two or three months - we are getting a second opinion next week.
"We have got other goalscorers in, we have just got to step to the plate and start scoring. Doing our job."
ARSENAL (4-2-3-1): Cech 8; Bellerin 6, Koscielny 7, Mertesacker 6, Monreal 6; Ramsey 7, Flamini 6; Oxlade-Chamberlain 5 (Campbell 68, 6), Ozil 6, Walcott 6 (Gibbs 81); Giroud 5 (Chambers 89). Booked: Flamini, Ozil. Goal: Koscielny 72. NEXT UP: Sunderland (h) FAC, Sat.
NEWCASTLE (4-4-1-1): Elliott 7; Janmaat 6, Coloccinni 7, Mbemba 6, Dummett 6; Sissoko 6, Tiote 7 (De Jong 87), Colback 7 (Thauvin 79), Wijnaldum 7; Perez 6; Mitrovic 6. Booked: Colback, Janmaat. NEXT UP: Watford (a) FAC, Sat.
REFEREE: A Taylor (Cheshire).
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