Can Theo Walcott and Olivier Giroud Play in the Same Arsenal Team?

Although Olivier Giroud returned to goalscoring form with France during the international break, he may have to wait before being granted a place in the Arsenal XI.

At the moment, Theo Walcott is occupying the central striking berth that was once Giroud’s domain. It seems that Arsene Wengercurrently believes that he faces a straight choice between the twofrontmen.

However, must it necessarily be so? Both players have wildly different attributes, and both can pose a different kind of threat to the opposition. Arsenal fans may now be wondering if it’s possible forWenger to accommodate them both in the same team.

They used to play together quite effectively. When Giroud first arrived at Arsenal, Walcott was regularly deployed on the right flank, and the two struck up an impressive understanding.

Speaking to the People in November 2012 after scoring in the north London derby, Giroud admitted:

Looking at the goals from last weekend it was another cross from my favourite supplier Theo. The more we play together, the better it is – and Theo always seems able to find me.

I know in the past Arsenal fans have moaned about the lack of crosses but hopefully my heading ability and height can give other options to the team.

It’s a combination that made sense. Walcott brought speed and width,Giroud offered a powerful penalty box presence. They seemed to enjoy working in tandem, and the results were good. Later that season, the polarised pair scored five goals between them as Arsenal demolished Newcastle United by seven goals to three. 

However, things have changed since then. Wenger seemingly envisages Walcott as a lone striker now. Since a defensive lapse allowed Danny Rose to score Tottenham Hotspur’s winning goal back in the spring, Walcott has spent barely a minute on the wing.

There’s also the question of balance. When Walcott and Giroud played together, it was usually with Santi Cazorla on the opposite flank.

Wenger typically likes to field two "strikers" in his front three, with the third being an auxiliary midfield player. For example, back in 2012/13, he was notably reluctant to field Walcott, Giroud and Lukas Podolski in the same XI.

That continues to this day. Currently, Alexis Sanchez occupies the left flank. That means Wenger will typically opt for a more conventional midfield player on the opposite side—Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has filled that role, but it more often goes to Aaron Ramsey.

The Gunners boss is likely to be reticent to include Alexis, Giroud and Walcott in the same team—especially when he already has concerns about the Englishman’s capacity to carry out his defensive responsibilities.

With Mesut Ozil in behind, that would effectively make for a front four. That’s too cavalier, even for a coach with Wenger’s attacking instincts.

Giroud and Walcott would make for an ideal partnership in a traditional 4-4-2, but Arsenal don’t currently have the central midfield required to support that system.

Although Giroud and Walcott make for an interesting combination, it’s difficult to see Wenger finding a way to squeeze them into the same XI.

An injury to Alexis might enable Walcott to take up his space on the wing, but for the time being it seems Arsenal’s two strikers are locked in competition for just one starting spot.

James McNicholas is Bleacher Report's lead Arsenal correspondent and is following the club from a London base throughout 2015/16. Follow him on Twitter here.