Giroud sick of criticism

With 6 goals in his last 4 France games, Olivier Giroud is certainly enjoying something of a purple patch, however his more robust style does nothing to endear him to fans who prefer the more technical forward play of Karim Benzema. 

On the back of a hat-trick against Paraguay and a sensational volleyed effort against Sweden, Giroud has hit out at his critics, labelling their obejections to his syle "tedious" but adding that the criticism also helps him to focus on his job on the pitch. Despite having scored 27 in 63 for France, with 17 of those goals coming in his last 21 games, his relationship with the French fans has always been a fraught one. In a warm-up game against Cameroon before last year's European Championship he looked visibly upset by criticism from the stands, despite having scored in a France win. 

Despite the repeated calls for the return of Karim Benzema, it would seem there is no way back for the Real Madrid forward who last played for his national team in October 2015 after becoming embroiled in a sex tape blackmail scandal targeting France teammate Mathieu Valbuena. Interestingly, were Giroud to score against England on Tuesday, he would overtake Benzema in the list of France's top goalscorers, moving into 7th place alongside former Bolton man Youri Djorkaeff. Giroud is now very much an established part of the French forward line.