It cannot be ignored that this is setting up to be a vital season for Theo Walcott. Once a young boy who made a big money move and gained huge attention from this, not to mention a place in Eriksson’s World Cup squad, Walcott is now older and wiser and his performances have started to show the one thing they can have previously been accused of lacking – consistency.
This has come at an opportune time for Walcott, as not only do Arsenal need him to step up now more than ever, but the emergence of a certain Oxlade-Chamberlain has meant that Walcott’s place has been under threat – with some even feeling that it is this very competition for places within the Arsenal squad that has made Theo step his game up.
Although Chamberlain himself would say that Walcott is a ‘totally different player’ to him – with the older and more established of the two preferring to play either as an out and out winger or a striker, and Chamberlain favouring the attacking midfield position, later moving out wide, comparisons are inevitable, and after yet another stellar performance by the 18 year old in the defeat to Manchester City and the youngster keen to have more experiences in the first team, Walcott is under more pressure at his club than ever before.
In seasons gone by, Arsenal fans could have been forgiven for putting Walcott’s face on a milk carton he went missing so much during games, yet at 22 the player will soon reach the 200 appearance mark for Arsenal – a remarkable feat for one who is still so young.
It is easy to forget just how well Walcott does play, and just how much the once sporadic winger has improved since arriving and being taken under the wing of Arsene Wenger as a 16 year old, with the player flourishing this season, especially since the departures of Nasri and Fabregas, with Juve rumoured to be interested in the English man and much more expected to come from the player.
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In terms of international football, selection before the 2006 World Cup gave so much hope to a then teenage Walcott, yet after failing to play at all in the tournament and with Eriksson lamented for including the lad, Walcott’s England career petered out before it had even began, and he has struggled to establish himself as a first teamer down a right hand side which has lacked a firm starter since the decline of David Beckham.
One major worry for Walcott will be the form of Spurs player Aaron Lennon, who has been more than worthy of a watch over the last couple of seasons and is really becoming an integral part of a very successful Spurs side and would be the majority of people’s first choice for his country, meaning that not only does Walcott have to worry about his place in the starting line-up at his club but also breaking into the first team for England to boot.
For his part, the player has been doing everything he can to gain acclaim from both fans and his respective managers, and whilst always able to boast impressive statistics due to bursts throughout games, has finally been able to show the consistency that has eluded him so long and can both edge Lennon and Chamberlain out and bring him the recognition he feels he deserves.
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