Arsenal: Theo Walcott Needs To Continue Breaking From The Script

Arsenal’s beating at the hands of Crystal Palace sparked some brutally honest comments from Theo Walcott and he needs to keep saying these things.

Arsene Wenger has responded to Theo Walcott’s brutally honest comments following Arsenal’s Crystal Palace humiliation and needless to say, the boss isn’t happy. He stressed that it was not right for Walcott to say these things and offered a bit more elaboration. His words:

"It is not acceptable. But the players were conscious of that when we were in the decisive duels. That’s what I said straight after the game. We were beaten, and you have to face reality and respond."

So essentially what we have here is Theo Walcott going off script and Wenger trying desperately hard to get his crew to get back onto it.

It shows through in Wenger’s comments. Walcott said some unpopular things that blew open the narrative with some revealing honesty. It was something we don’t hear very often, if ever, and it was as refreshing as a slap in the face.

In response, Wenger gave us another canned comment. “We have to face reality and respond,” he says.

Really now?

We’ve heard all of this before. The words are getting so old and Wenger is the most trained of the bunch. He is never going to break from the script. Apparently it’s better to pretend like everything is chugging along when the cameras are on you.

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Theo Walcott didn’t do anything wrong. He allowed himself to get frustrated, said what we should have all been thinking, and then went about his business. He didn’t say anything egregious or out of the ordinary. He just said that Arsenal are better than what they did against Palace. Which should go without saying.

He said that they owe the fans an apology. And why not? Supporters were livid after the match, booing everyone except Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain when they came to applaud the traveling fans.

He said that Palace wanted it more. Again, obvious. Unpleasant, and something that you wouldn’t ordinarily hear after an Arsenal match, but absolutely true.

We got hit with a icy cold wave of truth when we expected more of the same, boring statements about responding.

Walcott, if he truly empathizes with the fans, should keep breaking from the script and delivering the honest reactions. I’d much rather see players bothered and distraught, just like us supporters, then see them smiling and nodding and saying the same old thing.

Next: Arsenal's Potential Starting XI Under Thomas Tuchel

At least it shows that these losses are having an effect on them, which isn’t always a given.

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