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Laurent Koscielny says Olivier Giroud's attitude an example for Arsenal's squad men

Tuesday 27 December 2016 13:52, UK

Olivier Giroud celebrates his match winning goal in the game against West Bromwich Albion
Image: Olivier Giroud celebrates his match winning goal in the game against West Bromwich Albion

Laurent Koscielny has told Arsenal's fringe players to be ready as the club attempts to rebuild a Premier League title challenge.

The Gunners looked set to follow up back-to-back defeats with another frustrating result as their Boxing Day game against West Brom reached 85 minutes without a goal.

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HIghlights from Arsenal's 1-0 win over West Brom.

But Olivier Giroud headed a late winner on his first league start of the season, and stand-in captain Koscielny highlighted the striker's attitude as an example for the whole squad.

"He stayed focused with the team," Koscielny told Arsenal's website. "We are not 11 or 18 players, we are 25 players.

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"All the players who play for Arsenal have a big part to play during the season because of injuries and suspensions, and everyone needs to be ready to fight for this club.

"Olivier started and he tried to give his best on the pitch. He fought and it's good for him to score the winning goal. It was so important because last week we lost two games in seven days and we wanted to get back to winning three points.

Arsenal's French striker Olivier Giroud (R) watches as West Bromwich Albion's English goalkeeper Ben Foster (L) cannot reach his header as Arsenal take the
Image: Giroud's header loops over West Brom goalkeeper Ben Foster

"It was a hard game because West Brom play with their qualities, which include making big blocks, and that made it hard for us to find a good solution."

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Arsenal went 14 games unbeaten after losing to Liverpool on the opening weekend, but this month's defeats at Everton and Manchester City have left them lagging nine points behind leaders Chelsea.

Crystal Palace and Bournemouth are next up in the space of three days, so the likes of Lucas Perez, Mohamed Elneny and young defender Rob Holding could come into contention.

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"We lost the first game of the season and came back with a good run and a lot of wins," Koscielny said. "We lost two games in a week last week and it was very important to come back with a win.

"The confidence will come back when you win and the most important thing now is to continue to win games in a row so that hopefully we can get into the first position."

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