Revitalised Ramsey and Giroud gunning for glory after a scintillating start to the season

Olivier Giroud and Aaron Ramsey have found form this season after struggles last term

The very idea that Aaron Ramsey and Olivier Giroud would be one of the first names on the Arsenal line-up was unfathomable just a year ago. Because, let’s face it neither of them were uprooting any trees with their football and there were at least a few that believed that the latter would be replaced by a world class center forward in the summer.

Unfortunately, or fortunately, as things turned out, the world class striker never arrived and there those who felt aggrieved by the fact that Arsenal really had nobody up front to bang in the goals. After all, Giroud was a big-money signing for Arsenal and his average of close to a goal every three games in his first season in England, didn’t do him too many favours.

The case of Ramsey however, was the more curious one. He was signed as an 18-year-old sensation from Cardiff, who had a great future ahead of him and in his first three seasons, he barely featured in the lineup. Whilst that was mostly because he was really young and there were more experienced heads in front of him, the last couple of seasons had seen make him over 40 appearances each for Arsenal and yet he looked nowhere closer to fulfilling his potential.

So, at the start of this season, there were plenty of question marks over the futures of both players and both of them had a point to prove. And although, we are just a few months into the season, the duo have made their mark and are, alongside Özil, the three best players for Arsenal so far this campaign.

Over the last five years at Arsenal, the Welshman had managed a grand total of 11 goals. So far this campaign, he already has 10 for Arsenal, to add to his goal for Wales. Although his game has never always been about the goals, his confidence is sky high and the fact that has gone toe-to-toe with Cazorla and Özil and matched them stride for stride with respect to his attacking play, is mark of how far he has come.

Giroud, on the other hand, has already scored half the amount of goals he had scored in the whole of last season in just a third of the games. The Frenchman’s confidence too, is at all-time high and the fact that Arsenal didn’t sign a striker over the summer and kept their faith in Giroud, seems to have motivated him to finally showcase his talent and show the world just what he can do.

The duo now exemplify everything that is good with Arsenal, especially Arsene Wenger’s approach when it comes to players. At any other club, both of them wouldn’t have had as much playing time as they do with Arsenal after the indifferent seasons they enjoyed last time around. But, at Arsenal they were entrusted with the responsibility of scoring and creating chances and they have kept their end of the bargain.

The stats don’t lie. So far this campaign, Ramsey and Giroud top the assists chart with four each and came into the weekend with five goals each. After the goal against Liverpool, Ramsey just managed to nick himself in front of Giroud as Arsenal’s leading scorer in the league with six goals, only two behind the leader, sitting pretty in third place. The game against Liverpool showed that both of them, have what it takes to get through the season playing with the same renewed vigor with which they started the campaign.

Although the next set of fixtures will decide whether Arsenal are title contenders or not, with the kind of form that the duo have displayed, they might well lead the Gunners charge. Manchester United, Southampton, Everton, Manchester City and Chelsea are among the next seven league matches for Arsenal and few would have predicted that Ramsey and Giroud would be leading their attack, at the start of the season. After all, the pair between them, only managed a dozen goals in the league last year. This time, around, they already have 11 goals between and are looking as sharp as a butcher’s knife and look ready to lead the Gunners to glory in the Premier League.