Giroud’s Red Card Appeal Rejected By FA – Podolski To Play Through The Middle?

Arsenal have confirmed on Arsenal.com that the FA have rejected our appeal against Olivier Giroud’s red card that he received against Fulham last Saturday.

The Frenchman was dismissed for a foul late in the game at Craven Cottage and replay’s showed he had slipped just before making contact with defender Stanislav Manolev.

The club decided to appeal for wrongful dismissal but that has been rejected following a Football Association regulatory commission hearing on Tuesday and Giroud will now begin a three-match ban with immediate effect.

It means he’ll miss Sunday’s clash with Manchester United as well as games with Queens Park Rangers and Wigan, but will return for the trip to Newcastle on the final day of the season.

In his absence, Arsene Wenger will have a decision to make on who to play through the middle. Giroud has been a mainstay in attack for much of the season and we have no out-and-out striker to come in while he’s unavailable.

Theo Walcott and Gervinho have both been given playing time through the middle, but I think it’s time we deploy Lukas Podolski in his preferred central role in the coming weeks.

He’s proven to be a deadly finisher when given a sniff of goal and he’s got more experience than Walcott or Gervinho in playing as a central striker, so I’d give the German international a chance in the middle.

Who would you like to see playing through the middle in Giroud’s absence? Get involved in the comments section below.