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ESPNsoccernet: England | |
Olivier Giroud believes he has made a brighter start to life at Arsenal than Robin van Persie did in his first season at the club.
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Giroud previously stated that he is settling in at the Emirates, and pointed to statistics to prove that he is on target to become a key player for the Gunners.
"I don't know a striker who isn't interested in his statistics. Since the start of the season I've got 14 goals and 11 assists," he said.
"For a first season it's better than Van Persie when he started, even though he was younger. When I arrived at Arsenal, there were some worries. But they were quickly sorted and now the Arsenal players understand if they play off me they can score."
Former skipper Van Persie - who departed for Manchester United last summer - scored a goal every 159 minutes in his debut season in the Premier League compared to Giroud's record of a goal every 156 minutes.
Giroud, meanwhile, believes he and his team-mates turned their season around after thrashing Newcastle last month.
"It wasn't easy. Then we played Newcastle and won 7-3. I just missed out on a hat-trick. Things are better now," he explained.