Olivier Giroud, Arsenal – 11th Minute
gif courtesy of FeintZebra
It’s starting to seem that it wouldn’t be a “Goals of the Week” without Olivier Giroud. The French striker received loads of criticism last year, but this year has been the complete opposite, benefitting from Arsenal’s fantastic play within the midfield. Now, they’ve added Mesut Ozil to that occasion in what many believe could be the signing of the summer – an intelligent attacker with eyes for goal and who seemingly sees the game ten seconds ahead of anyone. Ozil hit the ground running in his Arsenal career on Saturday, creating a fantastic Giroud goal early on against Sunderland at the Stadium of Light.
If you’ve been reading this blog, you’ll know I’m a bit of a sucker for goals that involve a great defensive play and smart positioning. This one is absolutely no different. With Ozil taking the attacking duties in the center of the pitch, Aaron Ramsey drops just a bit deeper, and stays more wide in the Gunners’ formation. Here, early on in the match, Arsenal is doing a great job of pressing Altidore who is arguably Sunderland’s best goalscorer. Laurent Koscielny has stepped forward out of defense to cut Altidore off as Ramsey makes a tackle (more like a push), and wins the ball off of him.
Goal Breakdown 