Olivier Giroud continues to polarise opinion, Chelsea face a summer of change, West Ham need a new striker and Jordan Henderson should not start in Basel
1) Giroud continues to polarise opinion despite his hat-trick
What a strange afternoon it was for Olivier Giroud. The Arsenal striker scored a hat-trick in the 4-0 home win over Aston Villa, taking his final tally for the season to 24 goals – 16 of which were in the Premier League. But for most of the game – specifically the period between his fifth-minute opener and his finish for 2-0 in the 78th minute – he drew the ire of the Emirates Stadium crowd like a magnet. Whenever a move broke down, there were screams of frustration and derision, and Giroud was invariably the target. Sometimes, his movement was not sharp enough and the expletives flowed in his direction and on other occasions, his touch or decision-making was not up to scratch. There was even the moment on 31 minutes when Mesut Özil’s pass for him was off-target and the crowd erupted at Giroud. And yet, after he had completed his hat-trick, there was a rousing rendition from the stands of his song, which goes to the tune of Hey Jude. Giroud has had plenty of highlights this season, including the goal in the Champions League victory over Bayern Munich and the hat-trick in the decisive group stage win at Olympiakos. The feeling remains, however, that here is a very good centre-forward but not one who possesses the requisite world-class level. After his poor form over the second-half of the season, he appears to have exhausted the patience of the Arsenal support and with the scrutiny on him so intense, his margins for error have become non-existent. It is difficult not to foresee a clamour for Arsène Wenger to upgrade in the position over the summer.
2) Benítez shows just why so many Newcastle fans want him to stay
Football really is played in the mind – St James’ Park devoted 90 minutes imploring Rafa Benítez to remain as their manager, to which the Spaniard responded by proving precisely why he’s worth the fuss and why Sunderland’s Sam Allardyce was so worried about a manager who arrived fractionally too late to save Newcastle and relegate Sunderland. Freed of the pressure invoked by the fear of relegation, Benítez’s players knew exactly how to adhere to his instructions to deconstruct Tottenham’s so-called high press, courtesy of a blend of patient counter-attacking football – representing a hybrid of the best of Alan Pardew and Steve McClaren. Spurs may have suffered mentally after losing out to Leicester on the title but this was still a tactical masterclass on Benítez’s part.
3) Manchester United’s FA Cup preparation impeded
Ander Herrera talked later about the “nerves and tension” as Manchester United and Bournemouth players were kept in the dressing rooms and the club’s former captain, Gary Neville, was among those expressing his horror about the possibility an English football ground might have come under attack. Instead, it was a galling day for United for many reasons – Manchester City’s 1-1 draw against Swansea City ending any chance of Louis van Gaal’s team qualifying for the Champions League – with the added possibility that Bournemouth will seek compensation for their travel costs. Of greater concern to Van Gaal, his team must now play a midweek fixture when they are preparing to meet Crystal Palace at Wembley on Saturday. The manager will inevitably be tempted to rest players with the final in mind, but that is still far from ideal when United need a draw to climb above Southampton into fifth place and guarantee direct entry to the Europa League group stages.
4) Chelsea face a summer of change
Chelsea’s final home game of term was overshadowed by the locals’ appreciation of Claudio Ranieri and Leicester City’s achievements this season, as well as their raucous pleading for John Terry to extend his stay in south-west London into a 19th senior campaign. Rather less focus was drawn to Guus Hiddink’s own farewell as he concluded a second spell in interim charge of this club though, just before he departed, the Dutchman sought to lighten the mood. Asked whether, this being Chelsea, there might a third coming at some stage in the future – perhaps even if Antonio Conte endures a stodgy start to life at Stamford Bridge next season – Hiddink snapped back: “A big possibility, yes.” The honesty initially felt refreshing, even if the sense of mischief was quickly exposed. “No, I’m joking,” he added. “I don’t even know if I’ll be available, so I don’t think so. They’re going now into a period where I’ll not be needed. And it would be very bad if I was called in, what, early December (to take over again). That would be bad for Chelsea. No, I have full confidence they will go up now back to where they belong: fighting for silverware and being in the top four.”
Yet this season has proved that restoration will be far from assured. A summer of upheaval awaits at Chelsea, whether Terry is retained or not, and a number of players will surely be moving on in the closed season. Most obvious are the loan departures: Radamel Falcao will return to AS Monaco and Alexander Pato to Corinthians or another club willing to take him on. Oscar has spoken of a desire to prove himself to Conte over recent days, but he has featured so little in recent weeks that it is tempting to assume his days are numbered. What, too, of the likes of Pedro Rodríguez and Loïc Rémy? Can Diego Costa be retained amid interest from Atlético Madrid, and is Baba Rahman a left-back likely to flourish under the Italian? These are questions for the months ahead, but the sense is the time has come for change. This team may have limped to the 50-point mark with their draw against the champions, but they have been pining for the end of this campaign for months. The under-achievement has been hideous at times. Conte has a major task ahead to prove this season has been a blip and force this club back into contention.
5) West Ham must target a new striker
For all their complaints about controversial refereeing decisions, West Ham United only have themselves to blame for their failure to clinch European football and dropping 11 points from winning positions in their final 10 games can also be attributed to their lack of ruthlessness. Their latest show of wastefulness came as they ended a positive season with a 2-1 defeat to Stoke City and Diafra Sakho was particularly culpable, spurning a glorious chance to make it 2-0 early in the second half. West Ham’s need for an upgrade up front is clear. Andy Carroll has finished the season well and has looked fitter in recent months but Enner Valencia has suffered a dramatic loss of confidence and Emmanuel Emenike will not be signed on a permanent basis. There are also doubts over Sakho’s future, though the Senegalese forward is worth keeping if he starts next season in a more positive frame of mind. In that context, links with Marseille’s Michy Batshuayi and Lyon’s Alexandre Lacazette make sense.
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