Do we really need Theo Walcott???

First of all I wish Theo Walcott a quick recovery and would never wish an injury on any of our players or any player for that matter. That said we now have a serious problem with him injured so in response to the above question, the answer is an emphatic YES!!! We really need Theo Walcott.

Didn’t realize how much we need you!!!!

Theo Walcott has been called a headless chicken, a man with no footballing brain who lacks the technical skill to succeed in Arsenal. That has been the case to a point. Walcott seems to make alot of wrong decisions and cannot really go round a player meaning he cannot play against a team that defends deep or will not be highly effective.

However, for all his faults,  Walcott has road runner speed and his finishing has always been top drawer. Those are the aspects of his game that bring a different dimension to this team. To bring that into perspective, lets analyze teams that play a similar game to ours, namely, Bayern Munich and Barcelona.  These two teams have one thing in common with us and that is been blessed with creative midfielders that are very technical and can give wonderful through balls. What they require in both cases is a person with speed  and ability to run at defenders. Players such as Robben, Ribery, Messi, Alexis, Pedro are just but a few that come to mind.

Walcott was such a player and without him, Arsenal are threatening to have a really static midfield. One game I recall this happening was the recent loss to Manchester United. Man U played a high line and a pressing game that our midfielders could not live with. Not that we could not retain the ball but without a direct player of Walcott calibre, we were very predictable and had no one to make the runs so we could easily be marked out of the game and with an attacking team like Man U they could easily turn defence into counter attack which is exactly what happened.

One can point to the fact that we played the same team against Napoli at the beginning of the season in the Champions League and it worked a peach but the problem with that argument is Italian teams are always known to be cautious and two tend to have slow but  technically gifted players. Its a fact that Italian teams can rarely deal with the pace of Premier League teams. Also such a game requires a high amount of stamina and I doubt Arsenal can play at such a level day in day out until the end of the season.

So what are our options:

Serge Gnabry: He is quick and likes to have a go at defenders and can be a real handful. He also has a good shot on him. The downside is his inexperience and I certainly don’t want him coming up against the likes of Bayern Munich confident though he may be.

Alex Oxlade Chamberlain (AOC): Chamberlain is definitely a viable option and was part of the group that swatted Bayern, in their own homeground, like flies. Not only is he experienced but he is at the same technical level as Gnabry and possesses the same shot power and technique. The problem is after coming back from a long layoff as he has been, there is no telling how long before he gets to the required level to compete. Wilshere is still feeling his way to getting to the level he was at.

Thomas Rosicky: Thomas Rosicky has shown that not only can he attack spaces and the read the game like no other but he still has his blistering shot, bursts of speed and most importantly can read the passes from the other midfielders and make the necessary runs. For this reason, he can be given the free role behind Giroud and be given license to thrill. Not only has he played that role at Dortmund but he would be a natural. The downside is he is prone to injury and while he has learnt how to manage it, what would happen if he got injured…God forbid.

Transfer Window: Wenger can turn to the transfer window and sign another player/winger. The upside is he can get one from the Premier League who already understands it well enough. The problem is I do not see any such player in the Premier League. He can buy a player from another league who might not be able to withstand the rigors of the Premier League that leads us right back to square one.

Its amazing the loss that a player without the technical level of the other teammates is the one who will be sorely missed. Get well soon Theo. You will be sorely missed!