Mauricio Pochettino has explained why he hates former Arsenal and Chelsea striker Olivier Giroud.
Giroud opened the scoring for France in their 3-1 win over Poland, which saw them advance to the World Cup quarter-finals.
The former Arsenal and Chelsea striker became France’s all-time top scorer, replacing Thierry Henry.
Giroud will undoubtedly go down as one of the most underrated forwards in football history, and Pochettino has stated that he has always hated the striker due to his performances against him while in charge of Tottenham.
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“I always hated Giroud in the past for Arsenal and Chelsea. He was a player you go up against and you know he was capable of anything. he is huge he is a player, we as central defenders hate him because he is a killer, inside the area it is difficult because he is big, smart, very smart,” Pochettino said, speaking to the BBC as reported by the Express.
With Karim Benzema injured, many questioned whether Giroud is a suitable enough replacement, but he has certainly shown that he is a long way off at this World Cup.
Giroud offers something a bit different to Benzema due to his physique, which has allowed France to get the best of Kylian Mbappe so far in the tournament. Mbappé has already scored five goals in this tournament, with potentially three games remaining.
