Theo Walcott Praises England Hat-trick Hero Jermain Defoe & Provider Rooney; Looks Forward To Switzerland Encounter
Arsenal youngster Theo Walcott told reporters in the post-match press conference that he was delighted to see striker Jermain Defoe return to his winning ways as he scored a hat-trick for England against Bulgaria in the 2012 Euro Qualifiers’ first round.
Defoe was definitely the man of the match as he scored three of England’s four goals at Wembley, giving his country a perfect start to the European Championship qualifying campaign.
The three goals against Bulgaria was the Tottenham Hotspur striker’s first hat-trick for England and it was also the first hat-trick by an England player at the new Wembley. This was England’s first treble since two years earlier when Walcott scored a hat-trick in Croatia to give England a comfortable win.
Walcott, while talking about Defoe, said, “Three fantastic goals and a great finisher. Every time he touched the ball, something was going to happen. Every time he went through on goal, you just thought he'd create something and that's what we want from our centre-forwards, to score goals and get people involved. He managed to do everything. I'm very happy for him.”
Walcott was also full of praise for Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney, who was responsible for all four of England’s goals. Rooney failed to impress during the 2010 World Cup, and even after that did not improve his form for his club. However, he seems to have gotten over the disappointing World Cup campaign and has returned to his previous form.
“He's claiming three and a half assists, I think. It just shows what different sides Wayne's got to his game - not just goals. He had a free role. I think that's one of his favourite positions, because he can do anything for the whole team.”
Another player who was fantastic throughout the game and essential for the 4-0 win was goalkeeper Joe Hart. Hart made notable saves to maintain a clean sheet and proved why he deserved to be number one for his country. The Manchester City goalkeeper has improved a lot this season, and judging on recent performances, he is currently one of the best goalkeepers in England.
Walcott claimed that it was Hart who kept England in the game by making an important save after their first goal. He said there was a big possibility that the match would have ended differently had the score-line been 1-1 early on in the game.
Walcott revealed that England were ready to take on Switzerland in their next fixture on Tuesday. He believed that the opening 4-0 win over Bulgaria had given them the boost they needed to perform well in the qualifying stages. He said, “It should boost us. Tremendous confidence now: 4-0, especially at home, clean sheet. We go to Switzerland, do the same things, and I'm sure we'll get the right result.”
Despite their poor form in the World Cup, Walcott claimed that England had improved greatly since then. He said they were looking forward to their next game and hoped to do as well as their first game. He said that a good start was important and that it felt good to be top of the group.
Defoe was very proud of himself; the Tottenham player was overjoyed as he told reporters about his hat trick. He said, “It's great - what a feeling. It's a fantastic feeling, to score for your country, to score a hat-trick and to win the game.”
He revealed that Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney was essential to his hat-trick, saying that he was lucky to have found a partner like him. He said, “It's always nice when you play with a partner and they want you to score the third goal. When I was on the second, he said to me, 'Keep going and you'll get the hat-trick'. When I did, he was the first one to come over.”
In the end, Defoe mentioned how he was glad he had chosen to wait for the surgery he was scheduled to have a few weeks ago. Originally, Defoe postponed the surgery so he could feature in the Champions League play-off against the Young Boys for Tottenham. He was exceptional in that match and since then seems to have improved even further.
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