Olivier Giroud's inadequacies seal Arsenal's fate

Sliding further and further down Arsene Wenger's attacking depth chart, Olivier Giroud was handed the start Sunday at Sunderland, a decision the long-tenured Gunners gaffer may live to regret.

Desperate to snatch a silver lining from an underwhelming campaign by securing a top-four finish for an unprecedented 20th season on the bounce, Arsenal traveled to the Stadium of Light looking for a straightforward victory against a poor Sunderland side.

For all of the club's attacking impetus and the record-setting playmaking efforts of Mesut Ozil, Arsenal lacked the final product in a drab scoreless draw with the Black Cats.

Destined to finish fourth for the seventh time this decade - the other three finishes were all third - the lack of clinical finishing in front of goal has proved to seal the fate of a side that had its best chance to win the league since 2003-04.

In football, numbers often don't tell the entire story, though in the case of the former Montpellier goal-starved striker, the proof is in the pudding.

Without a goal in 13 hours of Premier League action, Giroud is mired by the worst period of form since he made the north London pilgrimage ahead of the 2012-13 campaign.

(Courtesy: @Squawka)

By failing to score in 19 of his last 20 matches in all competitions, Giroud has wasted the radiant talents of table-setter Ozil.

With 137 chances created in the league this season, Ozil has set the Premier League standard. His 18 assists on the campaign are second-best to Thierry Henry's record of 20, though the World Cup-winning playmaker hasn't registered a helper in the league since a Feb. 28 2-1 defeat at Manchester United.

It's not for a lack of trying either, as Ozil has been repeatedly let down by Giroud and his striker partner Danny Welbeck, neither of whom have scored in a month and a half.

Speaking with reporters after the match, Wenger was courteous in his assessment of the French international striker and his dismal run of form.

"Maybe a little anxiety is creeping in when we are in front of goal. Giroud is lacking confidence but you go through spells like that."

That's putting it politely.

With three matches remaining and 58 goals for, Arsenal is poised for its worst goal-scoring campaign since tallying 59 during the 1998-99 season. The Gunners finished second that year, courtesy of allowing a stingy 17 goals against.

A lot of that falls on point-man Olivier Giroud. No goals in 14 matches is no good for a side whose once-promising title ambitions have become an eerily familiar case of Deja Vu.