Arsenal: Walcott, Oxlade-Chamberlain Not The Wings Needed

Arsenal got three points and that’s what matters, but it they truly want to push for major silverware, do they need better options out wide?

Arsenal finally got a win on the EPL table, as others maintained their perfect start to the league. It’s important we don’t stray too far from the top with all the early issues plaguing Arsenal’s 16/17 campaign.

Related Story: Arsenal Player Ratings Against Watford

Arsenal showed flashes of their best abilities during the first half against Watford this weekend although there were times of worry provided by the home team.

It’s almost as if Arsenal’s game is teasing us, almost reaching another level, tempted to cross a threshold. But Arsenal’s inability to dominate on the flanks is inhibiting this developmental process.

In the absence of Giroud, not only has Alexis been given the opportunity up top, but Chamberlain and Walcott have been handed the chance to prove themselves out on the wing.

Alexis is only a temporary option up front. I like what he does up there, the energy he brings, the tenacity, but it limits attacking options since any aerial ball into the box is quickly dismissed.

Can he play as a foil to Giroud in a 4-2-2? Absolutely. Will Wenger switch formation? Probably not.

So it’s safe to assume that once Giroud and possibly Perez come into the picture, Alexis will be slotted back to the wing solving one side of Arsenal’s line up.

Walcott’s game is primarily vertical and in front of him. If he’s forced to check in for the ball, he doesn’t have the skill set to dribble around players.

He’s always looking to get rid of the ball so he can run in behind his defender, but even if he does get behind his man his inability to produce a final product negates his efforts and, even more frustrating, it seems to muck up the flow of Arsenal’s game.

Sometimes when you see Arsenal masterfully spreading the ball around the pitch, giving the ball to Walcott seems just to throw a grinding gear in Arsenal’s shift.

His shots on goal are sometimes close, but it’s hard not to imagine that if we had a bit more ability on the wing, more of those opportunities would become goals. Think about his shots on goal vs. Watford, good shots, but a great player would have scored those.

Goals from half chances could take Arsenal to another level. They only seem to score clear cut chances, and they still happen to miss some of those.

Walcott could become an impediment to other developing players; not enough is being delivered from the 10-year veteran. Perhaps Walcott’s sale could have brought in a pretty penny while giving an opportunity for developing players such as Joel Campbell, Iwobi, or Gnabry.

Chamberlain was an exciting prospect heading into this year’s campaign. He was finally starting to piece everything together; he was becoming a goal threat.

The Ox never showed any fear to take anyone on in a one vs. one situation. He’s even developed his body in order to take on the rigors of the Premier League.

He was an outstanding pre-season performer not only for adding a goal threat, but also for, and maybe more importantly, adding consistency to his game.

I almost didn’t want Arsenal to sign Mahrez, because it would have certainly pushed Chamberlain down the pecking order and hampered his development.

Well, I wished for the wrong thing.

Chamberlain hasn’t been able to replicate his pre-season form, and it may come from just trying to do too much. If you score a simple goal, or a flashy goal, doesn’t matter, the scoreboard will add only one point regardless.

Chamberlain has been trying to score every goal via a chip over the keeper as if he’s trying to become the cross bar champion.

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If the Ox can get a confidence boost by just keeping with the fundamentals of the game, he can be much more devastating. He must understand that after being with Arsenal for five years, it’s time to pay back the faith.

And Chamberlain has the skill set to do so unlike his counterpart, Walcott. The Ox has the technique, fitness, strength, and pace not only vertically but during changes of direction as well to be destructive down the wing.

Today’s match highlighted our lack of viable options on the wing as Wilshere was substituted in for Chamberlain. Would Campbell have not been a far better option?

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Trust me, I’m still flabbergasted by why Campbell was loaned out.