Olivier Giroud says competition for Arsenal places made him better
Thursday 16 July 2015 17:12, UK
Arsenal front-man Olivier Giroud says the competition to be Arsenal’s first-choice striker has made him a better player.
With 58 goals in 105 starts, the former Montpellier star has an impressive record in England.
However, he is utilising the pressure from the likes of Danny Welbeck, Theo Walcott and Chuba Akpom – who scored an impressive hat-trick against the Singapore Select XI on Wednesday – to push himself to further success next season.
"You have to deal with that [competition] all the time and it helped me be a better player," he said at Arsenal's away-kit launch in Singapore.
"People are always talking about different players. I focus on myself and try to improve my game. As a team we improve and I am happy with that.”
Despite a strong record that has set him among some of the best strikers in Europe, Giroud is more determined than ever to increase his tally.
"It would be nice to score at least 15 or 20 goals. My best record is 16 in the Premier League and I want to beat that.”
“I always want to improve, so I want to score more goals than last year," he added.
"It would be nice to score at least 15 or 20 goals. My best record is 16 in the Premier League and I want to beat that.”
Reflecting on his time in England, Giroud also claimed Arsenal has made him a more selfless professional too.
“I'm a better team-mate as well," he said. "Arsenal is not about one player, it’s a team effort.
"I try to link the play and set up the game […] You always learn but you must always keep the human part of you in the group. I try to be a good team-mate and a good guy as well."
