Mauricio Pochettino admits he used to "hate" Olivier Giroud as he looked for ways to keep him quiet whilst Tottenham boss.
The France star, who became his country's record goalscorer with a strike against Poland on Sunday, spent nine years in the Premier League with Arsenal and Chelsea - two of Spurs' fiercest rivals. Pochettino was in charge in north London for much of that time and had to find ways to nullify the forward.
Giroud has long been given the underrated tag, largely down to his lack of star quality. The AC Milan frontman doesn't have the fear factor of other strikers, but has often excelled in the final third whilst also complementing his team-mates.
Pochettino said on the BBC : "Always I hate Giroud in the past because of Arsenal and Chelsea. He was a player you face and you know was capable of everything. It’s massive. It’s a player we as centre-backs hated because he’s a killer. Inside the box, it’s difficult because he’s big, clever, so smart."
The Argentine was actually able to stop Giroud scoring against his Tottenham side in all of their league meetings whilst he was at Arsenal, although he did score during his Chelsea days. Since leaving English shores, he has also helped Milan win a first Serie A title in 11 years last season.
Rio Ferdinand said of the 36-year-old: "The big thing for him is the attitude - you have to have the right attitude to do what he does. He's had people say he's not good enough, he's not the most flashiest player like an [Kylian] Mbappe, but he knows what he's good at and he executes."
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Giroud is eyeing a second World Cup triumph after being a crucial cog in France's 2018 success. He didn't score in Russia but earned plaudits for how he worked alongside Mbappe and Antoine Griezmann. Karim Benzema returned to the fold for the Euros last year, but his injury means Giroud remains the main man.
Didier Deschamps is not concerned about being light in attack without the Real Madrid star and Ballon d'Or holder, instead focusing on the players he has with him in Qatar. "It’s not something that’s occupying my mind. I don’t know who’s saying what and how. You know the situation and the time that he needs to recover," he said.
"I spoke with Benzema after he left us, but I don’t know where you’re going with your question. I have 24 players here and I’m thinking about them. I will let you speak, debate, and imagine, but I’m not going to comment on things that don’t concern our daily business."
