Arsenal: Theo Walcott Continues To Be The Underrated Weapon

Theo Walcott was Arsenal’s most threatening player in a limp first half performance against Lincoln City, further showing that he is the underrated weapon.

The win against Lincoln City on Saturday evening was undoubtedly a nice reprise from the recent struggles that Arsenal and Arsene Wenger have waded through. After crashing out the Champions League in emphatic style on Tuesday night, compounded by a loss to Liverpool that now makes the top four a tough challenge throughout the remainder of the season, had the Gunners fell to Lincoln, it could well have been the end of Wenger’s 21-year tenure.

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However, while there were moments of nervousness in the first half, with the side lacking the necessary pace in their passing to break down a resilient Lincoln defence and periods throughout where it was the non-league that enjoyed the comforts of dominant possession, creating pressure sporadically.

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Nonetheless, after the first goal just before half-time, a smart side-footed finish from Theo Walcott, deflected into the far corner off an unfortunate Lincoln shin, Arsenal entered the break one goal to the good and in command of the tie. It was, as many would have expected, the opening of the floodgates, as the Gunners proceeded to add four to their goal total in the second half.

It was Walcott, though, who was the primary threat throughout the first half. His movement off of the ball was electric, always looking to threaten in behind consistently and showed dangerous end product, an aspect of his game that has been a major weakness throughout his career thus far.

It was yet another display that Walcott proceeded to stake his claim as one of the more members in the Arsenal squad. Many sections of the fan base have been heavily critical of Theo’s performances for many years, pointing to his inconsistent touch and tendency to lose the ball far too often as issues that his searing speed cannot overcome.

However, while those issues are still too prevalent in his game, his production has been impressive for many years. Since 2010, in the four full seasons that he has played more than 20 games, Walcott has scored 9, 8, 14, and 5 goals, assisting 7, 8, 10 and 2 goals. This season, Theo has scored eight and assisted a further two in 18 league starts, adding a further four goals in three Champions League games and five goals in three FA Cup starts.

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Walcott is a much-maligned player within the fanbase. However, he continues to impress as a goal-scoring wide right attacker and is worthy of more praise.