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What do we miss the most when Walcott is absent?

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Theo Walcott hasn’t always been a stand out player in the Arsenal team and up until around 2 seasons ago I think people were still divided in the opinion of whether he was any good or not. But over time he has proved that he is invaluable and losing him to injury for the majority of last season really clarified the importance of having a player like him in the team.

Walcott brings a lot to the table but when he gets injured the team suffer and there are things we miss when he isn’t playing.

Pace

Walcott has wonderful pace, he is a speedy little player and there is nothing better than seeing him run the whole length of a pitch and then cross a ball perfectly into the box and he does that with ease. This means that Giroud who is slower in pace can stay further up field and not have to run so hard to get to the box and fail which is frustrating to watch so Walcott creates more chances for him effectively improving the way Giroud plays.

Walcott’s pace means he can run with the ball well and meander his way through people without much interception, he can get to his destination quicker meaning he gets opportunities that some people can’t even see yet especially when he comes out of nowhere to score.

Contribution to play

When Theo is on the pitch he gives his all for every moment of the game, he has off days like most people but his are few and far between, he is a real grafter on the pitch. Sometimes he can have lulls in scoring but that doesn’t mean he hasn’t put in a good show and he contributes towards the game in other ways. He is a solid passer, he is precise and 90% of the time his passes go to where they are meant to, he can cross a ball a lot better than some and he can also take a mean free kick. He supports everyone on the pitch and creates really good chances for himself and others.

Fear Factor

It doesn’t matter whether he starts game or comes on as a sub there is no doubt that if you were a defender facing Walcott your heart would sink a little as you know you would be in for a tough game. Walcott makes his opponents work really hard and he often has way more energy than them too so he will always win at some point during the game. He is an easy player to lose because he moves so swiftly and he thrives on that moving forward all the time and looking for an opportunity to lose his marker.

Walcott’s return to pre-season is imminent and it’s not a moment too soon, if he can stay fit for the whole season I think he will have one of his best yet. He has been sorely missed not only by Arsenal but by England too who lacked pace as well as everything else, they needed Walcott on the bench to be that game changer for them.

Plus I’m sure Tottenham fans can do with knowing the score again at some point this year and Theo does it so well.

Thank-you for reading!

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