PROFILE | Is Olivier Giroud living up to expectations at Lille? | OneFootball

Thirteen years after leaving Montpellier HSC as a Ligue 1 champion, Olivier Giroud returned to France, joining Lille OSC in the summer from LAFC. To say that the 2018 World Cup winner and France’s all-time top scorer was embraced by his new supporters on arrival would be an understatement. It was a feverish love at first sight, and for good reason. 

There had been uncertainty coming into the summer transfer window for Lille. The club knew they were going to lose Jonathan David, their top scorer for the past four seasons, on a free transfer, while it looked certain that Edon Zhegrova was also going to leave. The arrival of Giroud helped to soothe and distract from these underlying tensions. 

Lille were making a statement. They were bringing in a proven goal scorer. A serial winner who had won trophies with Arsenal, Chelsea, and AC Milan. A player who, despite entering the final chapters of his career, had until his American break last season been playing in the UEFA Champions League with AC Milan. 

Giroud’s honeymoon period proves brief

It was easy to get swept up in the transfer, and it was not just the Lille faithful who fell under the spell of the 39-year-old. Wherever Giroud travelled in his first few months in France, he would seemingly be met with a standing ovation from both sets of supporters. He was even applauded off the pitch at the Stade Bollaert-Delelis, the home of Lille’s rivals RC Lens, during the Derby du Nord.

Giroud hit the ground running for Les Dogues, scoring in the first two games of the season, a 3-3 draw with Stade Brestois and a 1-0 win over AS Monaco. But the honeymoon period was brief. A goal against SK Brann in the UEFA Europa League in late September was followed by a drought that lasted until he scored a brace against Paris FC in late November. 

There has been a sense for much of the season that Bruno Génésio and his coaching staff have been a bit too enamoured with Giroud’s status, and have not always utilised the veteran in a way that gets the best out of him. They’ve leaned too heavily on the striker and been reluctant to drop him from the starting lineup, even though common sense suggests a 39-year-old might struggle to maintain his level week in and week out.

GFFN | Nick Hartland