Chelsea's towering interloper Olivier Giroud will offer a new weapon – once his teammates learn to decode him

Olivier Giroud's first goal for Chelsea, scored in a 4-0 thrashing of Hull City in the FA Cup fifth round, showed what can be unlocked when he is used in the right way

'To really grasp Giroud’s footballing phraseology, you need to winch him into the penalty area' (AFP/Getty Images)

In the film Arrival, a strange alien craft appears in the sky above Montana and simply hovers there like a giant white obelisk, waiting. What does it want? Why has it come? In war, or in peace? The US army enlists Amy Adams, an expert linguist, to make contact with the aliens and decipher their curious, symbol-based language. If you haven’t seen the film and don’t want the ending spoiled, that’s probably as much of this report as you can read, in which case: thanks, and do remember to leave a comment below!

When Adams’ character finally manages to decode enough of the alien tongue to ask what on earth they’re doing in a godforsaken place like Montana, they reply with the phrase “offer weapon”. Immediately, this is interpreted as a declaration of war, and a nuclear strike is prepared. But Adams has another idea. She argues that the correct translation may actually be “offer tool”. And as she gradually begins to earn the aliens’ trust and converse with them, she realises she is right: that the alien language itself offers a transformative power, one that unlocks all sorts of possibilities for humanity, allowing them to perceive their world in a totally different light.

All of which brings us, in a highly convoluted sort of way, to Olivier Giroud, who made his second start for Chelsea on Friday night in the FA Cup fifth round against Hull. In a way, Giroud’s sudden and quite startling arrival at Stamford Bridge from Arsenal in the dying days of the January transfer window still has, like many big-ticket transfers, a sort of otherworldly feel to it. There he is, mysteriously hovering in the opposition half, not moving, occasionally adjusting his socks. Who is he? Why is he here? And what can he possibly want?

Giroud’s pre-match interview with BT Sport offered only little but further bewilderment. “I am here to win trophies, you know, to help the team to reach our targets,” he said. “I feel blessed to have the opportunity to bring my small thing to the big machine. You know, for Chelsea. Offer weapon.”

Of course, he didn’t say the last bit, but he might as well have done. And for much of his short Chelsea career to date, you get the feeling Chelsea have still been trying to solve the Giroud riddle, trying to decode this towering interloper thrust into their midst. An inconsequential run-around against Watford was followed by a more productive evening against West Brom on Monday night. But here, against a fat-free, healthy-alternative Hull City on a pleasantly mild Friday night, they got as close as they have come yet.

Giroud’s game, you see, is based on economy of movement. He does not really speak the language of lung-busting sacrificial runs into the channel, lightning darts off the shoulder of the last man, charging down the goalkeeper, nip-at-your-ankles pressing. Giroud does not really go and get the ball. If you want him to have it, you have to give it to him directly.

Olivier Giroud offers something different to Alvaro Morata (Getty)

Against Watford, occasionally against West Brom, and occasionally during the early stages here, Chelsea seemed to struggle with this concept. Used to Michy Batshuayi dropping back to receive it, or Alvaro Morata’s ethereal drifts into the channel, or Eden Hazard’s neon zig-zags, they kept playing the ball into space for Giroud to run into. Giroud just looked at it, like a cat being offered a copy of Atlas Shrugged.

Around half an hour in, Chelsea finally seemed to get the idea. Danny Drinkwater played the ball to Giroud – not near him, or past him, or around him, but straight to his feet. And here is where Giroud’s repertoire of nouns and verbs and adjectives and adverbs really comes into its own. Even in tight spaces, even with the ball bouncing awkwardly, even with defenders surrounding him, Giroud can divert the ball towards a teammate in any language you choose.

Here he angled the ball straight to Cesc Fabregas, and a couple of touches later, Pedro had put the ball in the net to give Chelsea a 2-0 lead. Minutes later, Hull’s Kevin Stewart simply bounced off him as Giroud flicked the ball to Willian to set up Chelsea’s third.

But to really grasp the beauty of Giroud’s footballing phraseology, you need to winch him into the penalty area. Even though he was no longer first-choice at Arsenal and will almost certainly not be first choice at Chelsea, there are still few better penalty-box finishers in the Premier League. Emerson Palmieri’s cross was heading behind him. Giroud’s momentum was taking him towards goal. Still, he managed to drag his left foot back just far enough to stab the ball in at the near post. Giroud wheeled away in apparent satisfaction, sucking his thumb. Some gestures, clearly, are still lost in translation.

To be sure, Giroud can often look like a blunt instrument. Certainly he is sometimes more tool than weapon. But he comes in peace. He wants to help. He is more sophisticated than he looks, too. And if Chelsea can learn to speak his language, unlock his potential, read his intentions, then he could just offer them an entirely new dimension.