In-form Giroud aiming to inspire second-leg fightback

Olivier Giroud is backing himself to makes amends for his poor performance in Arsenal’s UEFA Champions League round-of-16 defeat to Monaco by inspiring a second-leg fightback on Tuesday.

The France international was wasteful in front of goal when Arsene Wenger’s side slumped to a 3-1 defeat against the Ligue 1 side at the Emirates Stadium last month.

Giroud has scored in each of the three games he has started since then and was outstanding in Saturday’s 3-0 Premier League win over London rivals West Ham.

The former Montpellier paid no attention to his critics following his misfiring display in the first leg against Monaco and is backing himself to continue his impressive form at Stade Louis II.

He said: “I take a lot of pressure on the pitch. But when I ‘miss’ a game, if I can say that, you know I try to bounce back as quick as I can.

“If you let the doubts enter your head it’s even more difficult to cope. There are always tough moments like that because we do a hard job.

“You have to question yourself every week and bounce back. I try to show my answer on the pitch with my mentality.

“Football is a sport where you need to have a strong mentality because you have to face some difficulties. It’s like life.

“Even when you play well and score a lot of goals, if you miss one game everything is forgotten. You have to have a conscience about it and be aware.

“Don’t believe the people who talk too much about football. I’m not used to reading the media. I know when I play well or not. I know how to bounce back.”