If this season is to conclude with Arsène Wenger’s grand vindication – a triumph to wash away all those years of ‘if only’ and ‘for pity’s sake’ – then the campaign must consist of many smaller victories for the Frenchman. So he was encouraged by a double triumph in midweek, when victory at Olympiakos kept Arsenal alive in the Champions League and Olivier Giroud’s hat-trick confirmed to Wenger he is one of the best strikers in Europe.

Since joining Arsenal from Montpellier in 2012 Giroud, 29, has not convinced all Arsenal fans that he belongs in the same category as some of his illustrious predecessors at the Emirates, one of whom, Thierry Henry, said in April that Giroud was not the man to spearhead a successful assault on the Premier League title. But Wenger says it is high time Giroud’s class was recognised.

“If you look at the number of goals he has scored you have to give him credit,” Wenger said. “And he is not only a goalscorer – he works a lot for the team. He is among the best strikers in Europe.”

Wenger insists his team have no reason to be jealous of other clubs’ strike forces and, when asked whether Giroud deserves to be ranked alongside players such as Barcelona’s Luis Suárez, Bayern Munich’s Robert Lewandowski and Manchester City’s Sergio Agüero, he replied: “Of course. And [Theo] Walcott as well. We have Walcott, Giroud and [Alexis] Sánchez that can all score goals. And they all have different styles, which is very important as well.”

Wenger reckons the France forward’s style makes him under-appreciated. “I believe because he is not the electric type of player and he makes less spectacular actions, he gets less credit. The kind of header he scored for the first goal [against Olympiakos], you do not get much credit for that – but he was there, he headed the ball and it’s an important goal.

“You can never give up the style of player he is. If you go on the counterattack, of course, he isn’t the kind of player you want. That’s why when we played against Bayern [in October] I chose Walcott because you know you will be more in your half and have to go out quickly. When you dominate games and need a presence in the box, there is no better player than Olivier.”

It was not just against Bayern Munich that Wenger chose Walcott ahead of Giroud – the Englishman was preferred throughout most of the period from late August to October – but Wenger insists Giroud always remained a firm part of his plans. He says he admires the striker even more for returning as an even better player, with Giroud scoring 10 goals in his past 12 matches. “I never questioned the fact that he would be a very needed striker here. This has been a typical Olivier Giroud year. That means that, when it’s not working for him, he puts effort in. Recently he has come back with an improved game in his finishing and link play. Wednesday night was one of his best performances on all fronts. He has special qualities that are difficult to find. You want him to be efficient as well but where he has improved a lot is in his link play and that is important in our team. I like the career of a guy who has gone down and comes up again because that shows you that he has mental strength.”

Giroud and Walcott will be available for selection as Arsenal return to Premier League action at Aston Villa on Sunday but Wenger must still contend with a long casualty list. There is encouragement with regard to Sánchez, at least, as Wenger says the Chilean should return to full training on Monday following a hamstring injury.

At Villa Park Wenger will be seeking to add to the woes of his friend and former player Rémi Garde, who has presided over two draws and two defeats since agreeing to become the manager of the Premier League’s bottom club on the advice of Wenger. Garde broadly shares Wenger’s footballing philosophy but the Arsenal manager reckons his protege has to adapt his ideas to recognise the difficulty of Villa’s predicament. “He’s a very intelligent guy and has a positive vision of the game – he wants his teams to play – but he is in a situation where he has to bank more on efficiency and have more of a short-term plan,” says Wenger. “He has to tighten up his defence to restore the team’s confidence. I expect a more physical match with a lot of commitment and a big emphasis on the defensive aspects.”