Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger believes Theo Walcott may be too quick for his own good
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has said that his lightning quick winger Theo Walcott may be too quick for his own good. The manager said that at times a player’s strongest point can also become his weakness.
Walcott turned in another spectacular performance against Newcastle as Arsenal won 4-0 in the Carling Cup; the 21-year-old scored 2 goals in his first start since he got injured while playing for England. Theo Walcott was in excellent
form and was very hard to catch for the Magpies, who found it pretty hard to deal with his blistering pace. He was stopped a number of times via some hard tackles but he managed to get by and ended the match in one piece.
After the match, Arsene Wenger said that when a player can run at that speed there is always a chance that he will be on the receiving end of a bad tackle. Wenger said that even in the League Cup match, he was subject to some rash
tackles but got away with it because he did not have his full body weight on his standing leg.
"But against Switzerland, for example, what can you do? He is not vulnerable because of his injuries, it was a tackle.
"When you play against a player who is so quick, sometimes you can mis-time tackles, It's not necessarily always that you want to hit him, but he is so quick that you think, 'Now I can get the ball', and it has gone away," said
Wenger.
The Frenchman also said that over the last few years, a number of his players have been on the receiving end of some rather ugly tackles. Wenger added that he has always told his players to play with integrity and full heart so
there can never be a case when someone from his team would go down unnecessarily, or be the one making an unnecessary tackle. In fact, they are the ones who end up getting long-term injuries.
Wenger said that it is always a big responsibility for a manager when a player comes to his team at the tender age of 16 or 17. He added that when a player is making his way through the ranks, that is the period where he learns
the tricks and trades of the game, and if a player is not given proper guidance and direction, it is very easy for him to learn some elements of the game that really should not be there. The Professor added that he has always taken pride in making players
who play with their heart on their sleeves, and players like Robin van Persie, Cesc Fabregas and Theo Walcott are prime examples.
While commenting on the summer-long saga of Fabregas’ move to Barcelona, Wenger said that he has invested 7 years in Fabregas and has a big hand in making him the player that he is today. The manager said that at the end of the
day, it is up to the player if he wants to leave or stay, but if Fabregas goes to Barcelona he would just be a face in the crowd, while at Arsenal the team is almost formed around him, and being the captain he is the one pulling the strings on the pitch. Arsene
went on to say that the modern game does mean that every player wants to earn as many trophies and as much money as he can quickly, but in the long run it would be a wise decision for him to stay with Arsenal.
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