Arsenal: Theo Walcott, Ox Must Work Hard To Regain England Places

Arsenal’s English wingers have been ousted from their national side. As Sam Allardyce has said, they both need to be playing first team football to earn it.

England’s new manager Sam Allardyce has been abundantly clear about what he wants his England players to be doing with their club sides and it won’t be easy for Arsenal‘s English players.

His players must be match-fit at club level and playing regularly. It’s because of this that Joe Hart has moved to Torino for a season, and Jack Wilshere has moved to Bournemouth.

Theo Walcott and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, unlike teammate Wilshere, are staying with their clubs and fighting for a first-team place.

Both of them have been under scrutiny by Arsenal fans since the start of the 2016-17 season. Arsenal’s 1-1-1 record seems symbolic of their play, as they haven’t consistently been able to get it right.

Walcott scored in his opening match vs. Liverpool but has been hot-and-cold since then. He registered a lucky assist against Watford and got stonewalled by Leicester’s center backs, making little to no impact.

Oxlade-Chamberlain has looked sprightly and eager to make an impact, but his end product is still unrefined.

His stature and dribbling ability could be likened to Crystal Palace’s Wilfried Zaha – and like Zaha, he doesn’t yet know what to do once he arrives in a position to deliver a ball.

He scored a deflected effort against Liverpool that promised much from this season, but his past two games have been very poor.

Big Sam Allardyce hasn’t picked his starting eleven for England’s upcoming match against Slovakia. However, if the past is any indication of the future, Adam Lallana and Raheem Sterling are the likely first choices on the flank.

Walcott couldn’t get a look in for the EURO’s, and the Ox was on the sidelines.

Neither of them earned a place in 2015-16, and so far this season they haven’t done so either.

Michail Antonio of West Ham is the preferred option on the right flank for this England team. His upward trajectory since arriving from Sheffield Wednesday is the perfect example of how an England national can earn a place in the team.

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Pundits have been saying (indirectly) to Theo Walcott that this is his make-or-break season at Arsenal. It seems, now, that this season could prove decisive of whether or not he has a future with England as well.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain‘s England career has hardly begun. But it’s not as if Sam Allardyce is unwilling to pick young players:. It’s clear that the former Sunderland boss cares about is club performance.

John Stones and Raheem Sterling have been put in the squad, and rightly so. Sterling looks confident under his new coach, he’s scoring goals and creating for teammates.

Stones has made one or two defensive mistakes but overall has looked solid for City. He’s playing week-in, week-out and is doing well, unlike the two Arsenal boys missing out.

What both of these English wing players need is some consistency. Oxlade-Chamberlain may miss out due to Alexis on the left wing and Giroud as a striker, but Arsene Wenger appears to have put his eggs in the Walcott basket.

Next: Ranking Wenger's 3 Major Summer Signings

That faith could pay off this season, but it’s a big ‘could’ right now. If it does, Walcott will have earned his way back into the national side.

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