France international Olivier Giroud has said that he is enjoying life in west London with Chelsea. The 31-year-old joined the Blues in a surprise £18m transfer from rivals Arsenal last month, and he has since made his mark on the playing field.
Giroud could not make the difference during his cameo appearance against Watford on his debut, but he managed to make amends in front of the home fans. The Frenchman provided an assist for Eden Hazard in his maiden start on Monday night, and this contributed towards a comfortable 3-0 win for the Blues over West Bromwich Albion.
Speaking to Chelsea TV, Giroud admitted that he has a better understanding with the likes of Hazard and Pedro at Chelsea, as the pair play higher up the field than he was used to at his former club, he said: “We try to have a good understanding on the pitch,’ said the France international. Everything was not perfect because it was the first game. I’m happy but there is still room for improvement. I was very happy to set up the goal for Eden.
“It’s simple to have a good understanding with him because he smells the game, he smells football. With him, Pedro, Willian or whoever plays as the number 10, we always try to have a good understanding. It’s easy for me because the two number 10s play closer [to me] than I’ve played in the past, and that’s very important for our game.”
The victory over the Baggies was the Blues’ first in three matches, and this keeps them in the hunt for a Champions League via top-four finish in the Premier League. Apart from the win, there were plenty on the fitness front with both Andreas Christensen and Alvaro Morata showing their presence.
Christensen recovered from a minor hamstring problem to mark his return to the starting lineup, whilst Morata was a surprise inclusion in the matchday squad after finally overcoming a nagging back problem which has affected him since December. Morata made an instant impression with an assist for Hazard’s second goal of the game.
