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Theo Walcott’s Performance Against Chelsea Cause for Concern?
By Josh Sippie
Arsenal began the season just as well as anyone could have dreamed, with a win against that other London team. While the game has been criticized as being dull, boring, and similar to watching a herd of cattle graze, a win is a win and we will take it in North London. It was the first real, EPL quality test that Arsenal had to face after a very healthy preseason and there was a lot to watch for.
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One thing that stood out from the game is the fact that Theo Walcott was not effective in the least. In fact, in 65 minutes of play, he managed just 12 touches. Olivier Giroud managed 17 in the 35 minutes he had as Walcott’s substitute (via WhoScored.com). The speedy Englishman did get the assist on Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s goal, but for a guy wanting to prove that he can take the mantle as first team striker, it was not enough.
Arsenal, and Olivier Giroud, have often been criticized for not being able to score against the big teams. Giroud has been referred to as a small team bully, as he nets most of his goals off of lesser opponents. The last thing that we need is the same kind of thing to start circling around Theo Walcott.
Arsenal only have Theo Walcott, Giroud and Danny Welbeck to play the striker role, unless Alexis shifts which is unlikely, and if today’s performance is the only thing we are judging it off of, I am not too convinced that that is enough to succeed. Not only was Walcott ineffective at striker but he was hardly even seen.
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Granted, this is only one game, and you have to base credentials off of more than just one game, particularly when the game is technically still a preseason game, but with just four more fixtures in August, it is crunch time to decide if Arsenal need to bring in a world class striker like Benzema or Lewandowski and if this kind of performance continues, then we absolutely must.
However, those are not the kind of moves you just make overnight, so we almost have to start thinking about this kind of transfer now. Neither Theo Walcott nor Giroud looked ready to make an impact on this game against a major opponent like Chelsea. Does that warrant a need to start increasing our pursuits of striker reinforcement?
It may be a bit early to hit the panic button. While obviously we would rather be safe than sorry, we also have to maintain faith in our guys. Theo Walcott has proven he can be an effective striker, albeit against lesser opponents, so he at least deserves some more looks.
The upcoming matches will be a good test. West Ham can be a bit stingy on the defensive end and Crystal Palace is one of the most physical teams in the league. Then we have a solid test against Liverpool. Theo Walcott still has a lot to prove but those opponents give him the chance to prove it.
If he cannot prove it in that time, we have to hit the panic. We do not want to be left thin when the transfer window closes.
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