Olivier Giroud was this week’s guest on Monday Night Football, where he discussed his old club Chelsea and how close they are to contending for the title.
This season’s Premier League feels tighter than ever at the top.
Chelsea were in a comfortable second place just a couple of weeks ago, but a couple of bad results is all it takes for teams to start overtaking.
It’s the second season under Enzo Maresca where it feels like the Blues are close to truly contending.
Jamie Carragher said sacking Maresca would be a serious mistake, seeing him as a top manager who can bring Chelsea back to the summit of English football with the right tools. Giroud agrees, laying out what he needs to get there.
Do you think Chelsea can win the Premier League with Enzo Maresca? 👀
If not, who can bring the title back to Stamford Bridge?
Paul Winstanley with Chelsea owner Todd Boehly
Photo by Catherine Ivill – AMA/Getty Images
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Olivier Giroud says Chelsea missing two key ingredients for title charge
Giroud spent the majority of his career in London playing for Chelsea and Arsenal.
He never won a Premier League title, but he led Montpellier to a famous league win in 2012, and has won Serie A and MLS titles in the years since leaving Stamford Bridge.
When asked about the current Chelsea’s title hopes, Giroud thinks they’re close.
As he explained on Monday Night Football: “He needs a striker who is consistent. He needs to find the good player. The player who will score goals every single week.”
Olivier Giroud with FA Cup trophy
Photo by Matthew Ashton – AMA/Getty Images
Chelsea have always felt short in that department. This summer, Liam Delap and Joao Pedro have been signed.
Delap has been hindered by injuries throughout his short Chelsea career, while Pedro looks more at home playing in the pockets. The Blues have just one goal from their starting striker in the league this season — the lowest tally of any team.
Giroud also makes the same point that has consistently come up around Maresca’s side, which is the need for more experience.
As he puts it: “He’s got so much talent in the room but I think needs maybe more experience. The squad is very young, and he’s doing well.
“You see the records like since August 2024 he is there and he’s competing. He’s fighting with top teams, as we said, with amazing squads. Maybe he feels he needs one or two more players.”
The numbers back Giroud up
There has been one particular recurring narrative around Chelsea, and it’s one most fans have been convinced by.
It is that Chelsea need new centre-backs and a goalkeeper to truly contend. But after 16 games, the Blues have only conceded more goals than Arsenal in the Premier League.
Only Arsenal have a conceded less in the Premier League than Chelsea this season!
Do the Blues still need to sign a centre-back? 👀
Trevoh Chalobah of Chelsea celebrates scoring his team's goal with teammate Wesley Fofana
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Where they seem to be lagging behind is on the goalscoring front.
Delap and Cole Palmer have been absent for most of the season. When they are back at full strength, the production levels should rise.
The experience point feels like the one that won’t be corrected by form. As well as these young players perform most of the time, results like Leeds and Bournemouth show their inexperience.
Everyone seems to think there are a couple of pieces missing for Chelsea to truly push the likes of Arsenal and Man City. The problem is, few can agree on what those missing pieces truly are.
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