When he was still training at the youth academy in Grenoble, he knew that he was not the kind of player with extraordinary talents, because he had seen with his own eyes how geniuses played football.
Benzema, who plays for Lyon, is such a genius and is recognized throughout France, Europe and the world.
So, Benzema is like an expensive, well-maintained F1 car, while Giroud is just a go-kart that no one cares about.
He never even thought that he would one day be able to play in the top league.
He once thought that his highest achievement should be to play in Ligue 2. Being able to play in Ligue 1 was already very, very rare. But after transferring to Tours, he found that he really had such an opportunity.
.
This is the first time he is so eager to succeed!
What made him even more unexpected was that before he could achieve success in Tours, Ligue 2 or Ligue 1, he had already realized a dream that he had not dared to dream of in the past many years.
The upstart Manchester City of the Premier League extended an olive branch to him, and the talented coach Gao Shen, who has won two Champions League titles, invited him to join!
For Giroud at the time, it was like a dream.
No, he couldn't even believe in his dreams that this could be true.
Therefore, after receiving the exact news, Giroud was afraid that Manchester City and Gao Shen would regret it, so he immediately ran from Chambery to Manchester, because he heard that anyone who is valued by Gao Shen will achieve great results.
As a result, the fire he had suppressed for many, many years started to burn again.
After coming to Manchester City, he was definitely the most serious in training. He completed every action, every project, and every instruction from the coaching staff meticulously.
Compared with his teammates around him, he did poorly in many areas, but his attitude was definitely the best.
At first, he thought that he would be given a cold reception, that the coaching staff would be disappointed with him, and that Gao Shen would relegate him to the sidelines, but that didn't happen.
He still clearly remembers that in Cape Town, South Africa, he had the opportunity to sit down and talk face-to-face with head coach Gao Shen for the first time. Although it was through an interpreter, Gao Shen's words left an extremely deep impression on him.
"In our world, there is never absolute perfection. We all have imperfections, so on the court, it is even more necessary for teamwork and for each of us to go all out and work together."
"Your advantages are very obvious, but your shortcomings are also very terrible. If you want to gain a foothold on a platform like the Premier League, you must maximize your advantages and turn yourself into a team player with distinctive characteristics.
players.”
Giroud was very curious and asked Gao Shen what his advantages were.
Gao Shen pointed to his temple, "Here, you still have the rhythm of playing football."
After an in-depth conversation, Gao Shen believed that Giroud's greatest talent is his ability to quickly analyze the game on the court. He also has a very good sense of space, which allows him to quickly capture information, and his physical fitness is very good.
"Looking at the rhythm of your playing, it is completely different from other centers. You have the feeling of a No. 10 player."
Gao Shen believes that Giroud should work harder in this direction.
Compensate for weaknesses?
Definitely want it.
But he is almost twenty-three now, how can he still have time?
Even if you try your best to make up for it, you won't be able to make up for it much. It's more about making up for the players' lack of confidence by making up for their shortcomings.
What you really need to do is to give full play to your own advantages.
At the first meeting, Jirou was convinced by Gao Shen.
He never imagined that he would become Manchester City's main player, but he also never dared to imagine that a Champions League championship-level coaching staff like Gao Shen and his team would tailor a targeted training plan for him.
He is satisfied.
Therefore, he showed extra effort.
Even in the first three rounds of the game, he couldn't even play a minute. He looked at the teammates around him, each one was more active than the other. He was very envious, but he was still practicing hard in silence and waiting for the opportunity.
Finally, he made the roster.
Finally, he got his chance to appear.
Although, there is only half an hour left.
Standing on the sidelines, waiting for the substitutions to come in, Giroud raised his head, as if hoping that the live broadcast camera could take a more comprehensive and detailed picture of his face, so that his teammates and friends who had passed by could see him.
The relatives all looked at him.
He's on the Premier League stage!
"Come on!" Robben gave him a high-five and a hug before leaving the field.
Giroud was flattered.
Because in the past, Robben was only a superstar that he could only have the opportunity to see on TV and in newspapers.
But now, they are teammates.
This made him stunned for a moment.
"No. 12, No. 12." The referee shouted twice in the stadium.
"Olivier." Felipe, the left back closest to him, ran over and shouted.
Only then did Giroud wake up, waved his hands awkwardly, and quickly ran into the stadium.
He was actually a little confused!
The Pompeii Legion fans at the scene immediately booed.
Damn, is there no one left in Manchester City?
He actually put on such a silly fork!
Only the Manchester City players themselves know that this guy has been full of weird attributes from the day he joined the team.
God knows, why would a person who only knows French but not English dare to come to England from France alone?
The key is, he hadn't even signed the contract at that time.
…
Gao Shen patted his forehead with a headache.
In his memory, Giroud should have been a very coquettish guy in his previous life, but why does he feel so silly and cute now?
But the point is, this guy is so tall and strong, and to say he's stupid and cute... well, it's such a contrast.
"David." Gao Shen called Silva and gestured towards him, indicating that he should adjust the pass to the front and pay more attention to Giroud. The Spanish midfielder nodded to express receipt.
The same goes for Rakitic.
Robinho still plays on the left, and Suarez was moved to the right by Gao Shen. He played this position a lot when he was at Ajax, so he is no stranger to it at all.
"Okay, cheer up and concentrate, you will definitely be able to do it!" Gao Shen clapped his hands and encouraged.
…
Manchester City restarts.
Giroud tried to catch the ball for the first time, but it didn't go well. Distin quickly got around behind him and intercepted the ball first.
The French center was a little surprised and immediately launched a counterattack, but failed to grab the ball.
He began to realize that the Premier League was not like the game videos he had seen before.
In fact, the pace of the Premier League games is really fast, so fast that it is dizzying.
When he was sitting on the sidelines before, he felt that Suarez could seize the opportunity every time, so he naturally felt that Caber and Distin were slow. In fact, the two central defenders were both over 1.9 meters tall, but they were both very fast.
Fast and very flexible.
Slow and clumsy, that is compared to a striker like Suarez.
The second time he tried to catch the ball, Giroud caught it, but stopped a little too much. When he wanted to catch up quickly and protect the ball, Distin next to him had already taken the lead and stabbed the ball.
out.
The entire stadium once again burst into warm applause and cheers.
Giroud even seemed to have heard the ridicule and humiliation of the fans in the stands.
Although, he still didn't fully understand English.
"Olivier, what are you doing? Focus! Focus!" came the head coach's profound reprimand from the sidelines.
Giroud glanced at the coach, nodded quickly, took a deep breath, and tried to calm down.
"Use your strengths!"
“Leverage your strengths and avoid weaknesses!”
After failing to catch two consecutive passes, Giroud's third chance to receive the ball came a bit late.
Obviously, his teammates are also a little worried about him.
Every forward pass is an opportunity created by teammates' constant efforts. Who wants to waste it like this?
But the third time, Giroud did not let the ball linger at his feet, but quickly knocked it back into the gap.
"Very good! Hold on!" Gao Shen shouted in time from the sidelines.
Giroud was about to turn back and smile at the coach, but found that Rakitic passed another direct pass to his side. As a result, he failed to understand the intention in time and the ball was gone.
"Trench! Olivier, focus!"
Giroud waved his hand towards Rakitic apologetically, he was indeed distracted.
The Croatian midfielder grinned and immediately launched a counterattack.
…
It took more than five minutes for Giroud to really get into the rhythm of the game.
He clearly realized that with the center forward, he would not get the slightest space to get the ball. He could not let the ball stay at his feet. He had to move in and out quickly and touch the ball with one foot.
By the time he could pass the ball steadily, the time had already entered seventy minutes.
time flies!
But it was also in this intense and almost suffocating pace of the game that Giroud truly realized what Gao Shen had told him before, that his ability to quickly analyze the game really existed.
He can always inadvertently grasp the positions of his teammates and opponents around him, as well as their running routes through observation.
He didn't know if others could do it, but he felt he could.
So, he realized that if he mastered this, he could really do a lot of things.
Especially combined with his strong body.
"Use your body to protect the ball and control your opponent!"
Giroud is not stupid, on the contrary, he is very smart and understands many things at once.
When the game reached the 74th minute, Robinho took the ball from the left and when he tried to cut into the ribs, he was blocked by Vandenbore and was forced to pass it back to David Silva.
The Spanish midfielder took the ball and glanced ahead of him out of habit. He saw Giroud running over quickly, making a gesture towards him and shouting, "Pass forward."
David Silva reacted immediately.
Giroud quickly ran to the left rib area of the penalty area and used his body to block the French central defender in front of Distin.
Both players are 1.92 meters tall and they competed physically. Distin might not necessarily lose to Giroud, but after losing the opportunity, the French central defender could only be blocked by Giroud.
David Silva quickly sent a pass to the right side of Giroud, who had his back to the goal, and bounced off the ground next to him, slowing down.
An excellent passer is one who can make every kick he sends out according to the characteristics and habits of his teammates.
Giroud didn't catch the ball at all, but took a step forward, turned around, swung his long left leg just in time, and passed the ball from David Silva to the goal.
