Three big questions: Chelsea’s Olivier Giroud and the exponential

3. Is he one of Chelsea’s last all around leaders?

Giroud was set to leave in January. He probably had his bags packed, a house or an apartment picked out, and a free trial of Rosetta Stone to learn Italian. The move then fell through and he was stuck looking at another six months of barely playing before the Euros.

He did not complain. He simply put his head down and got to work. When he finally was playing again, both pre and post break, he was a marshal on the field. It was as if he had always been there, playing, and memories of him not playing faded away.

Fans often cry for leaders in the team but so much of that is amateur body language reading and assumptions. That being said, there are two metrics to measure leaders. The first is off the field actions or leading by example. This is the type most just guess at but there is enough to know that guys like Cesar Azpilicueta are this type. The second type is the spoken leader. They are on the field commanding players where to go and what to do for the good of the team. Azpilicueta is not really that type of leader.

The truly great leaders of teams, like John Terry, are leaders in both ways. They set the example off the field and then go on the field and demand the most of everyone. Giroud is that type of leader. Chelsea has few, if any, players that can say the same. As his career enters its final stages, Chelsea needs to determine how much that is worth keeping around.

Giroud being a great leader and a unique type of striker in the squad should guarantee that he stays at Chelsea longer than just next season. Many factors will play into that, but the Blues will be lesser without the big Frenchman in the squad.

What questions do you think need to be asked of Giroud? Let us know in the comments and on Twitter!