Theo Walcott… Potential Enigma or Reincarnation of Reyes

[xXx]

Arsenal have rejected an audacious attempt by Liverpool to take Theo Walcott on loan for the rest of the season.

The 18-year-old has attracted interest from several Barclays Premier League clubs, with Sven-Göran Eriksson still hopeful of luring him to Manchester City


Arsene Wenger:
"At the moment he is not where I expected him to be"
Arsene Wenger on Theo Walcott

The moment it all started to go wrong came when he was included in Sven Goran Eriksson’s 2006 World Cup squad. He was just 17 years and 53 days and had yet to make an appearance for Arsenal after his £5million move from Southampton — a fee which could yet rise to £12m. With serious injury doubts over Wayne Rooney and Michael Owen, Eriksson was looking to Walcott’s inclusion to lift some of the gloom.

Wenger must also shoulder some of the blame. He should have put his foot down and said it was all far too early. In 1978, there was an enormous clamour for Maradona to go to the World Cup but the Argentine FA declined on grounds it might harm his progress.



We are nearly two years after the World Cup and we are still waiting for Theo Walcott to confirm all the hopes that were placed in him. The goal against Chelsea in the Carling Cup seemed as if it could be the moment that he announced his arrival but it proved to be a false dawn and as the season came to an end, he had made progress but not the kind of progress that I had been hoping for.

Coming into this season and with Arsenal’s fantastic start to the season, some of the pressure seemed to be lifted from his shoulders and he was slightly forgotten about. His rare starting appearances were deemed as reasonably satisfying but in recent weeks it seems as if his progress has again come under question. He has been playing more regularly and not always very well. The comments by Arsene Wenger, that he had not made as much progress as he would have liked, confirms the general view that Walcott has not fulfilled the hopes placed in him

Arsenal's trademark attacking play under Wenger demands players with the ability to control a ball with assurance and capture the picture quickly of where colleagues are around them, allowing for the incisive pass and move approach that has been a pleasure to watch in the Wenger years. Of course to be able to play within this system takes hours of honing and fine-tuning on the training ground as well as gaining actual experience on matchday. I have long believed this is why Wenger appears to be so meticulous in his signings, finding players that will fit in and hopefully enhance the way he desires the team to play. Whilst Walcott at his young age cannot be expected to be fully in tune with this mode, it is disappointing to see the frequent loss of possession when not readily under pressure, partly down to a poor first touch when receiving a pass from a team-mate. His recent performance in the FA Cup victory over Newcastle showed signs of promise, punctured with the inexplicable easy surrender of possession.

The pace, the way he can sometimes break very well off the line, the clever, predatory way he can stroke the ball as he dribbles - we all saw that within the first five games he played for Arsenal. In terms of composure, body balance, positioning, teamwork, finishing - we have yet to see any substantial improvement.

CONCLUSION 1

I think he will come good but it is taking longer than I anticipated. So if that is the case, then I feel we must just continue to be patient with him and hopefully he will become the star that everyone wants him to be. I don't think there is any reason to believe he won't go onto be a big player in the future, he's just 18 let's remember.

CONCLUSION 2

OR.....We may need to accept, at some point in the future, that Walcott simply does not have it in him to grow into full bloom. It's still too early, but it is something that could well happen.

 

[jaffa]

I like Walcott and thought he would come of age this year but he hasn't but as you stated he is only 18 and plenty of time.

I thought he played well for U21's last night and took his goal really well. The problem I think is he is coming up against older professional players and they have caught onto the way he trys to go past them but he will learn to vary that in time. Remember Ronaldo used to almost alwways use the step over and defenders caught onto that, he then changed the way he went past them and look at him now.

IMHO it is far too early to write him off, time will tell if he has what it takes.

 

[krazylegz]

i think he might be a reyes mk2

 

[logic_187]

i dont really questions reyes ability i think his commitment to the club hampered his performance....quite simply his heart wasnt in it.

I think Theo's heart is in the right place but is too young at the moment, he needs a more skill/control, muscle mass, and confidence....... a loan spell may help....... but i believe that could dent his confidence as it is not what he really wants......Wenger could stick with him and with more first game starts (very unlikley at the moment) he should come good.....just like cesc.

 

[Mick]

cesc was a natural he started playing for us when he was 16 and showed great attitude and strength for a small physique type player.

walcott is still young and might need to develop more only time will tell, but he is starting to fustrate me lmao with some of his performances and i think wenger should hold back with him because in my opinion he is costing us games.

reyes is a great player and i think other things ruined his arsenal career and his antics with real madrid never helped and he ended up not at real in the end lol.

 

[blackmail]

I trust Wenger judgment and the speed he brings players on, so if Wenger is happy so am I

 

[spareafagmate]

i reckon the kid's got the talent but sven really messed him up by taking him along to the world cup. too much too soon

 

[johnny bravo]

theo walcott....has pace, thats about, he cant control the ball while running with the ball, he runs around like a headless chicken, he should cut down his pace and control the ball, as you cant have both...well thats my opinion of him...

 

[NL7]

He's only got acceleration and pace. Apart from that i think he's pretty poor. Should have been loaned out, not getting much action at the emirates.

 

[imranrasool]

ITs quite simple, he's a british kid so is severely over rated. As with most British athletes not just in football, if the media and public let them be, without all this unnecessary pressure they may be able to develop into what they promise to be.

 

[mudd786]

hleb,cristiano ronaldo, lenon, philips, henry, kaka, mesi.............

all can run with huge amount of pace with the ball and give excellent end product

theo just needs time ronaldo needed 4 seasons , theo doesnt always get a game

and i think your right its the pressure if you let them be rthey will perform better rooney and ronaldo when they didnt have this much lime light they would just go about there business no worries!

 

[theseeker]

he played well today, second goal was a real cracker . looked the part as well, problem is that he needs games but with arsenal going for the title, they cannot afford to give him the games he needs !

 

[ice2004]

Hes more of a threat playing through the middle as when hes out right or left his distribution of a football be it pass or cross is god awful.

 

[Alom1988]

he played well 2day..

good on him..
its the 1st time he impressed me..

 

[imranrasool]

This thread proves it all, one good performance and everyone is talking about it. This is exactly the mentality which puts so much pressure on these atheletes, praise is good no doubt.

Getting plastered across the back pages of major papers, all over the Internet, sponsorships, tv interviews, comparisons to some of the greatest players of the past and thats before he has even had two good games.

Wasnt Michael Owen, one of the great British players? Only one who got through all this is Rooney so far but thats purely because he's at a club everyone loves to hate.

 

[logic_187]

Wasnt Michael Owen, one of the great British players? Only one who got through all this is Rooney so far but thats purely because he's at a club everyone loves to hate.

Owens problem is he's Injury prone and has been for a few years now.

 

[neil1962]

Walcott joined the wrong team and lets face it Arsene Wenger dont like English players, Look how many he has signed and how many sold and how many in the squad

 

[The Dentist]

Walcott joined the wrong team and lets face it Arsene Wenger dont like English players, Look how many he has signed and how many sold and how many in the squad

he paid loads of money for english players, and bouht quite a few that have failed to come through. how does that mean he dont like english players???

cashley cole? wenger created him but look at the way the fecker treated the club.
richard wright?? total waste of space
jeffers?? pennant?? not like they werent given the chance. ok maybe in the carling cup but thats where you shine and come through.

now look at vieira, fabregas, clichy, anelka, even henry lol they all cost less than any of the english players.

 

[neil1962]

he paid loads of money for english players, and bouht quite a few that have failed to come through. how does that mean he dont like english players???

cashley cole? wenger created him but look at the way the fecker treated the club.
richard wright?? total waste of space
jeffers?? pennant?? not like they werent given the chance. ok maybe in the carling cup but thats where you shine and come through.

now look at vieira, fabregas, clichy, anelka, even henry lol they all cost less than any of the english players.

PMSL you really dont know do you, how many has he signed since he arrived in 1996 until now PMSL thats 12 years let me tell you 6 yes just 6 Arsenal vice-chairman David Dein said . 'As an English club we want to encourage English talent.' Does his manager feel the same? lol

Theo Walcott
Jermaine Pennant
Richard Wright
Francis Jeffers
Matthew Upson
Sol Campbell
How many left 1

 

[imranrasool]

Walcott joined the wrong team and lets face it Arsene Wenger dont like English players, Look how many he has signed and how many sold and how many in the squad

You've just hit the nail on the head, Arsene just doesnt seem to like the english players. Devil made a valid point in that they are severely over priced and in many cases over rated.

Arsenal have brought average foreigners to replace some average englishmen, I can understand bringing in foreigners which are truly a bit special. But why bring in a load of players into the premiership (this applies to all clubs) that are merely as good as the home grown talent.

Simple answer, home grown talent costs too much and sooner or later if they can kick a ball into the net, will be hailed the greatest player of their time by the media and be told they are in the same breath as all time greats.