Arsenal: Theo Walcott Doing What Was Thought Impossible

Arsenal’s longest tenured man Theo Walcott has absolutely been stepping up lately, which makes it quite possible that he is defying all of the odds at long last.

Theo Walcott doesn’t really have any comparable stories in modern football. Here is a guy who has spent nearly his entire senior career at one club, Arsenal, among massive hype and expectations that he has never fully lived up to. Yet he keeps on trucking with that club and here we are, a decade later, and we might have reached a breakthrough.

Now, first of all, let me rewind and say that I have been in this boat before. Heavily criticizing Walcott for his inability to do much more beyond goal poach is a hobby of mine, but I have had moments where I heaved credit on Walcott and wondered if he turned the corner, only for him to sink back into shadows and not be seen for months.

So I go into writing this with that in mind. I would not be surprised to see him be a complete non-factor against Crystal Palace.

But let’s assume that this is the breakthrough for him. Finally, at the age of 28, this is the real Theo Walcott. Wouldn’t that be something? No really, wouldn’t it?

Arsenal has been begging for a weapon to balance out Alexis Sanchez and no one has been able to provide it. Not Walcott, not anybody. Right as we are at the pit of despair, here comes the Englishman, flaunting how talented he actually is like he has been doing this his whole life.

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Walcott is on pace to score more goals than ever before, but most importantly, he is switching it on as of late to be more than just a poacher. He is balancing out the attack and providing a viable option opposite Alexis. Why this couldn’t come sooner, I don’t know, but let’s live in the present day, because it might just finally be here.

And he is speaking up too, proving to be a leader, and making his vice-captaincy look far less like a consolation prize and far more like something that actually makes sense.

It used to be that when I thought of Theo Walcott, I’d think offsides and losing the ball. But these past two games in particular has been anything but. He has only had the ball taken from him four times across the two matches and he has only been flagged offside once.

Now, again, let me reign it back in. It’s only two matches. But we have to start somewhere, and these bursts of life from Walcott have become far more frequent since he had that lengthy benching in the middle of the season.

Next: 10 Reasons Wenger's One More Year Makes Sense

Maybe this is the start of something grand. At long last.

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