It didn’t take long for Olivier Giroud to make an impact as the AC Milan striker found the back of the net in our pre-season friendly against Nice at the weekend.
The 34-year-old arrived from Chelsea last month and joined up with the squad later than most due to his international commitments with France at Euro 2020 earlier this summer.
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Despite still being in the process of settling in and finding his feet, Stefano Pioli gave him playing time on Saturday as he was introduced in the second half against Nice, and it didn’t take long for Giroud to show what he will offer us this season.
While his touch, link-up play and ability to offer a target and presence in the box were all on show too, it was his headed goal to equalise for Milan that of course made headlines, and it was a huge early boost as it was a signal that he will be able to make an important contribution in the upcoming campaign.
In truth, the Rossoneri struggled during the encounter. After two comfortable wins in pre-season against lesser opposition, this was in many ways the perfect test for us as the quality of opponent stepped up and the tempo was one that tested us both defensively and in trying to break Nice down.
Pioli will be pleased in terms of it being an ideal pre-season game to help with the players building their fitness and getting match sharpness, but he will also be aware of the improvements that must still be made ahead of our Serie A opener later this month.
However, it was ultimately a positive night in large part thanks to Giroud after his goal, as with Zlatan Ibrahimovic still absent and completing his recovery from injury, his new teammate will most likely lead the line against Sampdoria on August 23.
Giroud will now have an opportunity to get fully fit with outings against Valencia, Real Madrid and Panathinaikos still to come as we continue our pre-season preparations, and it’s hoped that additional signings arrive and can bed in alongside him in the coming weeks.
As seen with Ibrahimovic, Milan like to play with a physical target up top to lead the line and bring others into play. Giroud is perfect for that role and as he showed against Nice, he’s more than capable of being a goalscoring presence too.
It’s hoped that was just the first of many goals in a Milan shirt, and the early signs are promising in terms of him still being able to play a pivotal role for us this season.