Out with the old, in with the new: Theo Walcott bounces back from criticism, injuries, and rejection
Arsenal striker Theo Walcott is determined to start this season with renewed vigour, following the big disappointment of being left out of the National Team by Coach Fabio Capello.
Last week, he scored against the Blackburn Rovers. It was a nhistoric 2-1 win for Arsenal because they have not beaten a team managed by Sam Allardyce since 2002. In the same fixture last season, the numbers were similar but it was Blackburn that took the lead. The promising star may have swallowed the bitterest pill with his exclusion from the national team, but this is merely another stumbling block in his career. Like any professional footballer, he is determined to use that as a springboard to reach greater heights.
A week ealier, Walcott made jaws drop with a hat-trick against Blackpool. It was a 6-0 victory for the Gunners and a tragic loss for the Seasiders. The season has only begun but the lad is already on fire.
The young striker is very pleased with how the team is starting their season. “Last season we got a disappointing result. Fair play to Blackburn, they are very strong at home but all the lads showed a lot of character today,” Walcott told Sky Sports.
Walcott scored the first point for the Gunners in the Rovers' own Ewood Park. Van Persie passed the ball to Walcott, who put the ball into the far right corner. Though he scored only a single goal, he was a constant threat to the Rovers.
Walcott is out to impress the whole world and prove to Capello that he is worthy of a slot in England’s national football team. Arsenal should be thanking Walcott for half of the team’s 6-0 victory against Blackpool the other weekend. Arsenal Manager Arsene Wenger hailed his youngster as “electric” because of his hat-trick.
"He is more electric than he has been to date because he is sharp. I like today the fact he mixed well the final ball and the finishing. That is always a sign that the player is always more mature., Wenger stated in the club’s official website.
Things have not been very rosy for the 21-year-old boy from Newbury. He first joined Southampton FC when he was 14. He progressed quickly and in just one year, was promoted to the first team. He was linked to several Premier League clubs before Southampton agreed to sell him to Arsenal for a fee of £9.1 million. His 2006 mainly consisted of assists and attempts; his first goal came in 2007 against Chelsea. His attempts were overshadowed because Didier Drogba scored twice, giving Chelsea a 2-1 victory.
Sven-Goran Eriksson's inclusion of Walcott in the English World Cup squad in 2006 is proof that it is difficult to ignore the young striker’s talent. He did not, however, play in any match. When Steve McClaren replaced Eriksson, he put Walcott back in the under-21s. Walcott made history in that division as the youngest player to score for England’s under-21 squad. Another milestone of his is being the youngest player to achieve a hat-trick for England, which he did in the World Cup qualifier against Croatia in September 2008.
Walcott’s 2009-10 was marred by injuries. Coach Capello left him out of his 23-man World Cup squad because he was not playing regularly for his club and was not in his best form. Another blow came from former English football player Chris Waddle. Waddle said that the youngster did not possess any “football brain”: "People keep saying he's young but Wayne Rooney understood the game at 16, 17. I've never seen any difference in Walcott since he was at Southampton and broke into the team at a very young age. I've never seen him develop. He just doesn't understand the game for me - where to be running, when to run inside a full back, when to just play a one-two. It's all off the cuff.”
Anyone with a weak heart would have let these criticisms deeply affect their future performances, but not Walcott. In fact, he took advantage of the exclusion to regain his form, prove his critics wrong, and perhaps to prove to Capello that he is World Cup worthy. "I've had a good think in the summer - I didn't blame anyone else for not being at the World Cup but didn't read too much into it because I had a nice break, I've not had one for a long time. Now I just want to get playing and show people what I can do...it's for me to push on and get on the goal sheet a bit more often,”Walcott said.
Wenger believes that Walcott’s bad luck last season was a blessing in disguise. He looks better for the break.
"He's had good preparation for the first time in a long, long time,” Wenger said. He thinks that Walcott is not yet in his best form but for a player at 21, it is nothing to be scared of. "He is 21, he is now at an age when players normally start. He is not at the peak of his game. He has to keep his attitude right. And he has to avoid injury."
It is not a secret that Walcott and his admirers were shocked for the World Cup rejection. Even Argentine superstar Lionel Messi said that Walcott could have made a difference in England’s disappointing performance. But Walcott’s mentors have not lost faith in him.
"I had a little connection with him [Walcott] after that and it is very difficult to swallow to be out of the World Cup when you have 90 percent chance. It's disappointing but I hope they [also referring to Samir Nasri, another World Cup reject] can transform that in the future with a higher motivation and come back with even more desire to show how good they are. That's the only way we have in our job,” Wenger expressed. "You forget many times that in this job you have to be strong mentally and there's no big career without big disappointments.”
Walcott does not have to fear a mediocre football career because time is on his side. He has yet to reach his peak but he is very much on his way there. He can still prove that he is worthy of becoming a football sensation; he did just that in Ewood Park, where Capello was watching. The coach must now be choking with his World Cup decisions.
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