Arsenal striker claims he is nearly as good as Costa and Aguero

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Arsenal striker Olivier Giroud believes he can match up to Chelsea and Manchester City frontmen.

Olivier Giroud’s face as he was taken off against Monaco said it all. Six shots, none on target, and hauled off with half an hour to go.

It was a very different Giroud to one which had been quoted by The Evening Standard just hours ahead of the Champions League game, claiming to be one of the very best strikers in the Premier League.

Comparing himself to Chelsea’s Diego Costa and Manchester City’s Sergio Aguero, he said: “I don’t have an inferiority complex. I don’t have their names but, when you look at the stats, I am only just behind them.”

We took a look at how the statistics do compare the Frenchman to the former La Liga strikers.

Giroud’s goal tally is inferior to both Aguero and Costa, not just because he has made fewer appearances. His goals per game ratio compares poorly to both strikers.

The Frenchman also lands the lowest percentage of his shots on target of the trio, although his conversion rate is narrowly above Aguero.

Giroud’s confidence is admirable, but with every shot he missed against Monaco, it slipped away, as if it was a facade he had built up to try and convince himself he was a top level striker.

He can redeem himself in the second leg, but having failed to score against the Ligue 1 side in four career matches, the statistics of that particular duel are very much against him.