Olivier Giroud must seize his chance with France given his limited minutes at Chelsea

When Olivier Giroud arrived on Monday to the France national team's headquarters at Clairefontaine, an hour south of Paris, it wouldn't be surprising if he took a deep breath of fresh air.

He was back in familiar territory, a place he knows so well and feels at home.

He was also welcoming a break from his daily routine at Chelsea, which has been rough so far this season. Last weekend, he was not in the Blues' matchday squad in their win at Southampton. Chelsea manager Frank Lampard only wanted one striker on the bench with Tammy Abraham in the starting lineup, going with Michy Batshuayi and leaving Giroud back in London.

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That's not to say that Giroud is unhappy at Chelsea. He likes the club, the fans and the vibe in the dressing room, but he also wants to play. He needs to play. And so far, he has not played enough: only three games in the Premier League (one start) for a  total of a mere 101 minutes. Add that to his 17 minutes in Champions League group stage play so far, and you get the picture.

If Giroud is to factor for France at the 2020 Euros, he'll need more game time at the club, and as you'd expect, he is ready to fight for it. He had a discussion with Lampard recently, who assured him that he was counting on Giroud and that he would have his chance.

When Giroud did play earlier in the season, he made the most of it. He started and scored in the UEFA Super Cup loss against Liverpool in August. He also had convincing performances in the first 45 minutes against Leicester before being subbed off. He was also solid off the bench against Norwich. Now he's waiting for another opportunity to impress his club manager.

A few days ago, he celebrated his 33rd birthday, and as he is getting older, he is also getting wiser. He doesn't want to panic yet, there is no need for it. But ahead of France's upcoming Euro qualifying matches against Iceland (Friday at 2:45 p.m. ET, watch live on ESPN2) and Turkey (Tuesday at 2:35 p.m. ET, stream live on ESPN+), manager Didier Deschamps has expressed his concern over Giroud's situation.

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"I am worried. I don't take away what Olivier has achieved with us. His recent performances were very good. He is the third-best scorer with the national team. But I wish his situation would change. Above his efficiency, it is also about his rhythm. He already had times before where he was not playing much. But at the moment, it is not enough, fitness-wise. He cannot be at his best," Deschamps said on Monday.

But Deschamps knows Giroud inside-out. He knows he can rely on him and that he will not give up.

It is reminiscent of what happened at the start of the 2017-18 campaign when Giroud was still at Arsenal. Behind Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, he was third choice and he had to leave in January. He went across town in search for more playing time to ensure his spot on the 2018 World Cup squad.