Is Theo Walcott a deadly finisher?

Theo Walcott is a footballer who divides opinion like no other. Theo’s emergence onto the scene came at the tender age of 16 when he sparked a bidding a war between Premiership giants nearly 7 years ago. Expectations were naturally sky-high for the teenager upon arrival but he was no stranger to this. Walcott had been tracked by scouts from a very young age, Chelsea had tried to sign Theo number of times before being beaten to his signature by Arsenal.

Having idolised Thierry Henry and Arsenal being the hub and producer of some of the greatest young talent that Europe had to offer it seemed a logical choice to join the club. Comparisons were instantly made between himself and Henry mainly due to their blistering pace. Walcott, like Henry, started at Arsenal on the wing before Wenger would let them play through the middle. Theirry’s transition was hugely successful and he went on, as we all know, to be come Arsenal’s all time goalscorer; Theo’s has been somewhat slower and more arduous. Injury has been an underlying hampering factor to Walcott’s growth and maturity – constant set backs when he was young slowed his progress.

Walcott has shown glimpses of his potential as a centre forward during his time at Arsenal but it has been a mix of competition and his lack of consistency which has kept him out of a central role. Walcott was often given time to show his ability as a striker in cup ties and his debut goal came a final against Chelsea. His first touch exquisite and the finish was faultless, a dream first goal for young Walcott.

After such a perfect opening goal along with many others to add to his collection Walcott still divides opinion. Is there something that we, as fans, don’t know or can’t see? People who have managed Walcott have spoken about is intelligence and genius where as some other pundits have labelled him as a man who does not have a “footballing brain.”

Walcott’s greatest asset is his pace and once he has passed his man very few players can catch him – unfortunately his greatest strengths do not include turning at pace or dribbling around an opponent. His forte lays in his raw speed with or without the ball, Walcott is most effective playing against a high-line and receiving defence splitting pass which he can run onto.

Wenger has been attempting to mould Walcott into a striker since his arrival and has been promising to move him centrally but only when he feels he is ready. Almost two years ago to the very date Wenger said in a post-match conference that Walcott was “very, very close” to being moved centrally. In that same interview he praised Walcott’s calmness in front of goal and since then it has improved even further.

Last night Theo Walcott undoubtably changed the course of match almost single handedly. After being 4-0 down within 37 minutes Walcott got the comeback underway with cooly finishing just before the break. He went on to score a hat-trick and set up two more in that game, arguably his best performance in an Arsenal shirt. Not only did he demonstrate a wide range of footballing ability he was also ruthless in front of goal in testing times.

Walcott is a good finisher of the ball, that is clear for everyone to see. Walcott’s game has improved, he brings goals and assists to the side but he is still most effective on the wing. Walcott’s style of play suits Arsenal and despite not being given a central role he is able to drift inward with or without the ball.

Consistency is Walcott’s biggest downfall, his physique and attributes suit certain playing styles and defensive lines whereas Thierry Henry simply had it all. Comparrisons were always going to be made but Theirry’s boots may be too big to fill. Arsenal have a handy footballer in Theo Walcott rather than a potential Ballon d’Or winner. Walcott is still young and could still explode but at the minute he is more of a contributing winger than a reliable striker.

An Alternative Arsenal Formation

Arsenal’s tactical consistency has been one of the stabilising foundations for the club in these past few seasons. We saw last year that Arsenal were the only club in the Premier League to constantly field the same formation. As much stability as it provides for the players and knowing what roles they have to carry out it also makes them a very readable and predictable team to face.

Last season Arsenal could field a strong and impressive XI but sadly that is all they had in their Arsenal, excuse the word play. As immovable as van Persie was to the starting line-up every time he would go into a 50/50 challenge or go down the fans would cringe in fear that his biscuit-bone syndrome had returned. Yes, he was certainly their best player as well as their captain so naturally losing a player that brings goals and leadership would damage the team but more importantly was that there was nobody else who could play up front. Alas, Marouane Chamakh turned out to be worth less that his hair gel and Park Chu-Young who despite having over 50 international caps and inheriting the number 9 shirt played only 8 minutes in the league. Arsenal were forced to play a lone striker simply as a result of what resources they had available to them. In January the problem was so apparent that Arsenal had to call in Theirry Henry on a two month loan deal, his arrival was a much needed motivational boost for the club but the problems were still there. In midfield they had recently lost the promising Jack Wilshere to injury and had sold Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri whilst bringing in only Mikel Arteta to subsidise. The squad was thin and the players available dictated the formation that had to be played which resulted in a               4-5-1/4-3-3 hybrid with high attacking wingers and a central 3-man midfield. Arteta and Song were the lynchpins of the midfield with a rotating other throughout the season.

Wenger was not slow to dip into his transfer funds this summer, he immediately signed Lukas Podolski and Olivier Giroud – thus solving his striker problem. As soon as the crisis seemed averted it was blown open by Robin van Persie’s “come and get me” statement and once again questions were raised of the Gunners and their transfer policy. Shortly after selling van Persie it was Alex Song who was cleaning out his locker at London Colney as he was to make his way to Barcelona. Were Arsenal in trouble? The media seemed to think so but Wenger remained quietly confident in his squad and new signings. The season started in a bland manner with two 0-0 draws but positives were drawn from the clean sheets and unavoidable criticism from their lack of goals/van Persie. Wenger and his team insisted the goals would come and it was only a matter of time before they would start scoring – they were not wrong. The goals have come from a mix of players this season and it seems that everyone is chipping in to help the cause including the three new signings at Arsenal.

I am a big fan of the new 4-2-3-1 which at times seems to be a 4-2-4-0. Arsenal are fluid, technical and creative as always but there is a balance in the team which allows the front players to swap positions and drift whilst being supported by a solid centre midfield and impressive defensive line. Gervinho has started the season excellently and Wenger has been working with the Ivorian to transform him into a centre forward which he has done notably in the past with Henry and van Persie. This experiment has proved to be successful so far and the team are reaping the rewards with Gervinho’s 5 goals in 8 games in all competitions (already surpassing his goal tally from last season). Podolski, Giroud and Cazorla have also found the net as well as providing 6 assists between them in the league.

Although an unorthodox formation in England the 3-5-2 would suit Arsenal well. This is by no means a cry for a change but merely an alternative when/if suitable. This certain 3-5-2 will also transform into a 4-4-2 diamond depending on the play as Arsenal’s 4-5-1 became a 4-3-3 last season. A collective work ethic along with positional discipline has been apparent all season in almost all of the players. Full backs push on to support the attacks and the wingers drop deep to double-up defensively whilst the central players track their men and hustle well in the middle of the park. Even the central attacking player, whoever it may be, drops into midfield to help and link play whilst his teammates overlap and open up space. The foundations of a 3-5-2 are based on team unity and working for each other which Arsenal have worked hard on to achieve. Building upon what would is arguably a foundation needed for any team or formation are the players who are able to fit the system. As children we played with block shapes and discovered that the square does not fit into the circle-shaped hole and if we pushed too hard it simply wouldn’t go or we would break it. In certain games teams will close up and invite Arsenal onto them, they let them retain possession whilst having 9 or 10 men behind the ball for most of the match. The end result is having 15 or so men in the final third just unnecessarily occupying space. This 3-5-2 will naturally coax these conservative teams out and Arsenal are then given the opportunity to pounce and punish their opposition.

Arsenal’s defensive blossoming and maturity had been coming, it by no means overnight simply arrived when Steve Bould became assistant manager at the club. Have a more authoritative role on the training ground has certainly helped but it is more due to the fact that they now have a fit and settled defensive line. Over the past few years the defence had been chopped and changed for various reasons but now with the options of Mertesacker, who has been excellent since his arrival along with Vermaelen and Laurent Koscielny Arsenal now have a set of reliable centre backs. Carl Jenkinson did not have the best of starts in an Arsenal shirt after scoring an outrageous volleyed own goal from the edge of his box in a friendly followed by a string of poor performances, most notably against Manchester United at the start of last season. The young right-back, who is currently deputising for the injured Bacary Sagna, has been nothing short of great. He looks to be a different player to that of last season to everybody’s delight and has been tipped by Sagna himself to possibly become one of the very best. Kieran Gibbs has also had a bright start to the season and is now fulfilling the potential that he promised some years ago.

It was a tough decision for Arsene Wenger to make when Koscielny returned to full fitness as Per Mertesacker had been faultless this season but nevertheless he stuck with his preferred pairing of Vermaelen and Koscielny. All three players bring such different unique qualities to their defensive line and when one is not playing they are missed. Wenger has been selecting tactically at the minute, for example his decision to start Mertesacker against West Ham’s Andy Carroll purely to match and cancel out the striker’s physicality and height advantage. The 3-5-2 would allow all of the defenders to play who help both defensively but also in attack, especially from set pieces. Vermaelen would be utilised a libero which is sadly a dying position in the modern game but Arsenal’s Belgian captain has all the traits to play that position. Vermaelen’s adventures mid-game were welcomed in his first season where he would pick the ball up, take it beyond the half way line and after exchanging a few passes either find himself shooting from the edge of the area or connecting with a cross – that season he scored 8 goals. This season has seen Vermaelen continue to attempt his all round style of play but his runs from defence to attack at times leave his centre back partner isolated and in trouble. In the libero role in a three man defence he will not only have license to start and possibly finish attacks but there will also be two more central defenders guarding the goal thus exploiting his strengths with a much lower risk of suffering as a result.

The full backs, Gibbs and Sagna, will become wing backs and help constantly with both attack and defensive, duties which are already routine to them. A central three in midfield is also no alien concept to them but I believe the ideal set up would be Arteta deepest with Wilshere and Diaby alongside him. All three are workhorses with tremendous technical ability which allow them to effortlessly link play between the defence to midfield and subsequently to attack. Runs from deep help aid attacks and when in those positions Arsenal could utilise Vermalen’s free role and have him joining the attack along with a midfielder. The formation with the ball at times would appear more as a 4-4-2 diamond with interchanging positional duties.

In attack with this formation Arsenal have a variation of combinations to choose from. A strike partnership of Podolski-Giroud would allow for wide play and crosses into the box along with the option of a longer or more direct ball to Giroud who holds up play magnificently and would those around him into play. Podolski can play just off the front man and run the channels well making him a nightmare to contain. Gervinho’s new found striking ability would also fit him into the category of playing with another main striker and getting in behind the defence. Theo Walcott plays best against a defence with a high line, games where teams sit back result in him being high ineffective as he is unable to use his greatest asset which is his pace. In this faux-counter 3-5-2 the break will be on and a smart ball to run on to or even a one-on-one could see Walcott beat his man and get in on a goal with a scoring opportunity.

This formation is based on stamina, team work and discipline. The most creative/free positions in this formation are the libero, the most central midfielder and the man playing just off the striker. Arsenal have been blessed with Santi Cazorla and it would be almost a crime not to incorporate him into this formation. Earlier I used the analogy of trying to fit a square into a circle-shaped hole and how it did not work and strictly speaking Cazorla does not fit. To get the best of him he needs to be playing between the lines and creating. Cazorla has demonstrated, in the short space of time he has had in the Premier League, that he is more than able to play in centre midfield as well as further up so he would fit in alongside Arteta and move round the diamond when the dynamic change occurs. Cazorla would also be able to play as a second striker in the 3-5-2 acting primarily as a creative source for those around him.

Having a different formational option will give opposition more to plan for and worry about as well as giving Arsenal another option if they feel this formation will benefit them against a certain style of play. This formation could also prove effective in their european campaigns, last season saw Napoli field a similar formation as well as Juventus playing it this year. This idea simply draws on certain strengths of the side and individuals whilst keeping remaining true to Arsenal’s ethos of entertaining, attacking football.