Oliver Giroud has not been a happy man since joining Chelsea in January 2018.
The hopes many had for him when he left Arsenal has not yielded and he states clearly that the reason for his failure is that he has not been given the chance to prove himself at Stamford.
The French striker has settled for a peripheral role at Stamford Bridge with only two goals from 24 Premier League appearances this season from the bench.
But that’s a huge contrast to his Europa League form with 10 goals in 11 appearances including the Blues 4-3 win on Thursday night.
That victory secured Chelsea a place in the Europa League Semi-Final, where they will play German side Eintracht in early May.
Speaking on one English publication, former Chelsea man Hoddle, praised Giroud’s impact on the whole team.
“They need him (Giroud) up there because he brings players into play,” he said.
“He (Giroud) gets his just rewards, a great finish and his movement all night was superb.
“He struggled a little second half without the service. Slavia Prague pressed higher in the second half because they knew he didn’t have the pace to spin in behind.”
The 32-year-old is out of contract in the summer, and, wants assurances of playing time from manager Sarri, before extending his stay at Stamford Bridge.
“Trust me, I’m very frustrated when I’m not on the pitch, but I just don’t want to show it,” Giroud said.
“When you are a competitor, when you’ve been through difficulties all through your career, you need to keep that frustration inside you and transform it into positive energy on the pitch.
“Trust me, though, I’m not happy to play the second role. That’s why I said, next year, I will need to have a more important role to play in the team.