Arsenal: Giroud's Cavani And PSG Warning Should Be Heeded
Arsenal’s Olivier Giroud has warned the club of the threat of Edinson Cavani ahead of the Gunners’ opener against Paris Saint-Germain.
With the first international break of the season endured (and that is exactly how it felt), the Premier League is well and truly underway. Four games played, new signings bedding in and Arsenal are looking to build on a poor start. Another ambitious target of the Gunners this season is progress in the Champions League, a competition that is set to start this week.
Drawn against Paris Saint-Germain, Basel and Ludogorets, Arsene Wenger’s men could not harbour too many complaints regarding the luck of the, well, draw. The toughest matchup is by far the French champions, but after the departure of star striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic and concerns over the competition of their domestic league, PSG’s European credentials have been called into question.
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However, when asked about the upcoming tie, French international Olivier Giroud has warned the club of the dangers of this PSG side, even without the wondrous talents of Ibrahimovic, highlighting the quality of fellow maligned centre-forward Edinson Cavani:
“Cavani is a player who can make the difference. If he has a big night, he can hurt us. The Champions League is a completely different competition and they will know how to get themselves together. Paris are the favourites in this group. They will be ready. Let’s make them doubt themselves. We are expecting tough opposition when we get there.”
Giroud’s advice should be heeded by his teammates. Certainly, PSG are not as strong as last season when they were challenging the might of Barcelona, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, but they are still a dangerous team and Cavani, in particular, is still a dangerous player. The Uruguayan has come under criticism in recent years having played second fiddle to Zlatan.
Now the number one centre-forward, the man who is expected to carry this PSG attack on his shoulders like the big Swede before him, doubts hang over his game, especially his goalscoring record. Cavani scored 16, 18 and 19 league goals in the past three years. Not particularly bad numbers, but when compared to Zlatan, 30, 29, 19 and 38 in the last four, then suddenly, Cavani’s record is not nearly as impressive.
However, on his day, when playing with confidence and without hesitation, he is an excellent striker. Strong, quick, a calm and composed finisher who offers far more to the team than simply sticking the ball in the back of the net. Arsenal will have to be aware of his talent on Tuesday night and heed Giroud’s advice.
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