Arsenal Winger Theo Walcott Is Hampered By Constant Injury Problems
Just when Theo Walcott seems to be in good form, he is hampered by some unforeseen injuries. Arsene Wenger now says that the youngster faces problems because of his sheer pace.
Theo Walcott joined Arsenal from Southampton at the age of 16. By the next year, Walcott became the youngest player for the English side, as he was selected in the 2006 World Cup squad. For Arsenal, he was considered as an heir
to legendary striker Thierry Henry. However, with the passage of time, Arsene Wenger, the manager of Arsenal, realized that the player is not suitable for the role of a striker. He noticed that Walcott played much better football when placed as a winger. Therefore,
Walcott came to be recognized as a winger for Arsenal as well as for England.
Walcott had many moments for Arsenal and his national side, England. However, he was dropped from the English squad for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. The major reason was that the youngster had had little taste of football
in the previous seasons because of long spans of injury. Whenever he looked good enough to be classified as a great player, he got himself injured in matches, losing his form in the process.
Arsene Wenger thinks that it is Walcott’s pace that causes him problems. It is the youngster’s sheer pace which results in mistimed tackles by the opposition that end up hurting the player instead. These kinds of tackles often
cause ankle and knee related injuries, which are often unavoidable. The problem with Walcott is not a fitness-related one. Rather, according to Wenger, Walcott is physically fit and not prone to frequent injuries. The quick pace of Walcott is often misjudged
by defenders who are not used to such kinds of plays regularly.
Even this season was started on a high note by Theo Walcott. Although he was dropped by Fabio Capello for the England national team, Walcott made a comeback for the Euro 2012 qualifiers. In fact, it was the match against Switzerland
that caused him his long-term injury, which also kept him out of Arsenal for several weeks. Before this injury, Walcott was flying high in the English Premier League with four goals in just two matches. His career was once again threatened by an injury that
came through no fault of his own.
It was fortunate for Arsenal that Theo Walcott did not lose his killing touch when he returned. He made as a substitute in the Premier League, as Wenger did not want his player to get injured again. However, the youngster got a
start in the Carling Cup match against Newcastle United. In that match, Walcott came up with two goals, helping his team to reach the quarter-finals. Once again, the youngster was a victim of a lot of fouls and bad tackles, which also worried Wenger as he
might lose his player once again. However, the young Gunner came out as victorious and unharmed from that match.
If things go well from here on, this might be the season of Theo Walcott. The youngster has developed into a fine player, and despite having being sidelined, he looks to be improving and in the best form of his life at
the moment. His pace is excruciating, and he is finding the net more than often. Walcott seems to be perfectly adjusting in his new role, as he looks more dangerous and penetrating from the wings. Right now, Walcott is one of the best players in Arsenal’s
attack, as he is more threatening to the opposition than anyone in his team.
The job of a defender is to stop another player from running around in his area. Therefore, it is quite natural that tackles fly in from all sides of Theo Walcott. The only problem is that the defenders cannot catch the young legs
of Walcott, which results in the use of unfair means. The only option for Walcott is to keep working on his physical strength. In this way, he will be able to sustain physical challenges in a better way, and will avoid occasional injuries.
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